To Protect Everything
by LordDraekai
Summary: After Shanks saved his life, Luffy swore that he would become a Marine Admiral in order to protect everything dear to him. After training in the Marines, Luffy sets off to prove that he is the greatest Marine since his Grandfather. No devil fruit Luffy in the beginning. Slight OOC Marine!Luffy.
1. Chapter 1: To Protect Everything

"Shanks! Take me out to sea with you!"

All the men in the bar laughed at the little boy's exclamation.

"You're still too young and weak Luffy!" The red haired man laughed as he slapped his knee. "Maybe ask me again in 10 years or so!"

"I'm not young and weak!" The boy shouted back, face beginning to turn red. "I want to be a pirate like you!"

At this statement, the laughter in the bar got louder than before.

"Stop laughing at me! I'm serious! I bet I can beat you Shanks!"

"Oh?" Shanks turned to him on his swivel chair with a big grin on his face. "Try me."

Luffy lunged towards Shanks only to meet a face full of Shanks outstretched foot, pushing him back onto the floor with a loud thud. The whole bar exploded into laughter again.

"Dahahaha! Train some more Luffy, and maybe you can match up to me!" Shanks roared in laughter.

Luffy rubbed his nose with tears in his eyes, sniffling at his failed attempt to prove his strength to the pirate captain. He jumped back on his feet and pointed a finger at Shanks with his chest puffed out in indignation.

"I will! And when I become stronger than you, you're going to regret not inviting me to your crew!"

"Dahahahaha! I'll be waiting for that day Luffy!"Shanks burst out laughing again.

The sudden loud bang of the bar's door being kicked open immediately silenced the bar as everyone turned to look at the newcomers. A tall, thin man walked in with an ugly smirk on his face, carefully regarding the seated pirates in the bar. On his right hip hung a menacing sabre that his right hand rested on lazily.

"Arara? So these are pirates? They don't seem like much to me." He spat as he walked into the bar with his men, not even sparing a glance at the seated pirates. He approached the bar where the bar owner, Makino, was standing, slamming a palm on the counter top.

"I'm not looking for trouble, just give us 10 barrels of sake and we'll be on our way."

Makino held her hands up in front of her in a placating gesture, "I'm really sorry, but we're all out of sake now…"

The man huffed and turned to the seated pirates, squinting his eyes at them as though regarding them for the first time. "All taken by these bunch of useless pirates huh?"

"Ara, I'm really sorry about that," Shanks turned to the man, his hand holding up a bottle of wine. "Here, this bottle is still new, you can have it as an apology from us."

The thin man swiped his right hand in an arc, smashing the bottle into Shanks. The whole bar held its breath as the broken pieces of glass clattered onto the floor.

"Don't make me laugh pirate," the man spat, pulling out a wanted poster from within his cloak. "I'm a wanted bandit in this town worth eight million berries, a bottle of wine won't be enough for me."

Shanks however, was looking at the spilled wine on the ground, not paying attention to the bandit.

"Aww, now the floor is wet…" He crouched down on the floor and began picking pieces of the glass with his hands. "Hey, Makino, you have a mop?"

"Ah! It's alright, I'll do it!" Makino waved frantically to Shanks.

The bandit spat at Shanks one more time before taking out his sword to slash at the bar, sending the plates and bottles crashing on to the floor.

"You like to clean so much, you can clean all this up as well." The bandit turned his back and sheathed his sword, heading out to the door. "Come on guys, let's find somewhere else to go, forget about these chickens."

The whole bar was silent as the bandits exited the bar.

Shanks let out a breath and all the pirates started laughing.

"That sure got you captain!"

"Dahahaha, yep, they sure did!" Shanks scratched his head in embarrassment.

"WHY ARE ALL OF YOU LAUGHING?" Luffy screamed at them. "You should have fought back! What kind of pirates are you to let them walk all over you?"

"Luffy," Shanks waved his hand in an attempt to placate the boy, "It's alright… it's really no big deal. Really."

"You talk to me about being strong and everything! And yet you seem so weak! I don't want to see you anymore!" Luffy ran out of the bar, tears streaming pass his cheeks.

"Luffy! Wait!" Makino called out to the boy but he already ran out of the bar.

"Just let him go, Makino… He's still too young for all this." Shanks sighed.

* * *

It was a few days later before Makino barged into the Mayor's house.

"Mayor! Luffy's in big trouble!"

"What? What did he do this time?" The mayor sighed in exasperation.

* * *

 _Near the docks_

"Get your foot off of me you filthy bandit!" Luffy screamed, trying without avail to push the bandit's foot off him.

"That's what you get for insulting us you little twerp. Don't think just because you're a kid I'll let you get away with what you do!" The bandit leader spat at the ground near Luffy.

"Wait! Please!" The mayor ran towards the bandits and knelt on the ground. "I don't know what Luffy did but please spare him! He's just a kid! We're willing to pay!"

"Huh," the bandit turned to regard the kneeling mayor. "Too late old man, this kid managed to piss me off too much." He slowly unsheathed his sword, bringing it down near Luffy in a slow arc. "And I won't be satisfied until I kill this kid."

"Hey you," a voice called out from behind the bandits. Shanks stood impassively with his crew, staring down the bandits. "That's my friend you got your foot on over there, mind if you let him go?"

The bandits laughed, "and here's the little pirate captain. Had fun cleaning up the town? Why don't you run along now before you get hurt again?"

Shanks remained motionless as he stared down the bandit.

"Tch, who do you think you are, telling us what to do?" A bandit walked haughtily towards Shanks, his pistol drawn. He stopped within a few steps of him and pointed the pistol towards Shanks's head. "Our boss told you to back off."

"I warned you guys, do as you wish then." Shanks closed his eyes and sighed.

The bandit didn't even have time to ask what Shanks was talking about before Lucky Roo shot the bandit in the head, all the while still munching on a piece of meat.

The bandit hit the floor with a soft thump as the other bandits watched with open-mouthed shock.

"You bastards!" The bandit leader gritted his teeth, still not letting Luffy go. "Get them guys!"

The bandits yelled and charged the pirates in unison. Beckman stepped out beside his captain, rifle in hand. "Let me take care of these punks."

Within a blink of an eye, the charging group of bandits were on the ground, unconscious.

The bandit leader widened his eyes in fear as the pirates advanced on him.

"I don't care what you do to me, bandit," Shanks stepped closer to the bandit. "You can spit on me, laugh at me, and even ridicule me. But if you hurt my friends, I'll make you pay."

"Tch, don't mess with me!" The bandit screamed as he flung a smoke bomb at his feet, dragging Luffy with him as he made his escape.

"Luffy!" Shanks shouted as the smoke dispersed, revealing an empty street.

"Damnit! We got careless! LUFFY!"

"Calm down boss!" Beckman held his captain's shoulder reassuringly. "Let's spread out to find him."

* * *

 _On a boat near the town_

"Ha… Ha… They'll never think a mountain bandit will escape to the sea! Hahaha!" The bandit leader laughed maniacally.

"Shut up you stupid bandit! I'll kick your butt!" Luffy lunged at the bandit before being backhanded back onto the boat.

"Shut it you brat! You're just a stupid kid! I'll kill you right here!" The bandit took out his pistol and pointed it at Luffy, who stared back at him with wide fearful eyes.

The bandit smirked at him as he cocked his pistol, until he realized Luffy was staring at something **behind** him, not **at** him.

The bandit turned as the Lord of the Coast rose out of the water and regarded the bandit with a single unblinking eye. The bandit panicked and shot the pistol at the monster which spurred Luffy to jump out of the boat and began frantically paddling his way back to shore despite his inability to swim.

The pistol bullet ricocheted harmlessly off the monster's hide and the bandit couldn't do anything as he met his end in the monster's jaws.

Meanwhile, Luffy was having trouble staying afloat while paddling for his life at the same time. The monster regarded the panicking Luffy and somehow decided that he was an insult to him and began swimming towards Luffy, jaws wide open.

As Luffy screamed at the impending horror, Shanks leapt out in front of him and dragged him away from the snapping of the monster's jaws.

"Scram!" Shanks yelled and the monster retreated obediently.

"Shanks!" Luffy cried, holding on to Shanks tightly.

"Hey now, Luffy, I thought you were a grown man, you shouldn't be crying like this."

"Shanks… No… Your arm!" Luffy cried harder, snot dribbling pass his nose.

Shanks paid no mind as he brought Luffy to shore, "It's only an arm, kid… Nothing to cry about."

"It's all my fault!" Luffy cried, tightening his grip on Shanks.

"It's not your fault, Luffy. Things like this happens all the time with criminals like that bandit. If you want to prevent things like this from happening, you just need to be stronger than them."

Luffy nodded silently, still sniffling.

* * *

"So you're really leaving?" Luffy asked, tears threatening to spill out anytime soon.

"Yeah… we stayed here for far too long, it's time for us to move on." Shanks knelt down in front of the boy, ruffling his hair.

As he turned to leave, Luffy gathered up his courage and shouted, "I'm going to be an Admiral when I grow up! And I'll arrest all those criminals like that bandit!"

Shanks turned back to him, smiling, "what, not planning to be a pirate anymore?"

Luffy shook his head, "I want to protect everyone, and becoming a marine would let me do that. I'll become a great marine and capture any criminal that threaten the innocent!"

Shanks smiled at the boy's resolution, "What about us? We're pirates, we're technically criminals."

Luffy tilted his head in honest confusion, "Well… you guys are good guys. So you're not criminals to me!"

The crew laughed at Luffy's honest naivety, only to incite a "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" from Luffy.

Shanks took off his hat and placed it on the boy's head, "In that case, I'll leave my treasured hat in your care Luffy. So follow your dreams and give that back to me when you're finally an admiral."

Luffy beamed at him, punching his hands in the air in a victory pose, "Yeah! Just watch me Shanks! I'm going to be the best marine ever!"


	2. Chapter 2: Setting off once again

_10 years later_

"Alright Luffy! Here we are! Now get your ass off my ship!" Garp yelled. He turned around to see Luffy fast asleep by the side of the deck, a piece of meat hanging in his hands. His straw hat sitting lopsidedly which seems out of place compared to the rest of his smart marine attire.

A white collared shirt with the marine emblem on the left chest was worn loosely with all buttons unbuttoned, revealing Luffy's chest openly. Blue cargo pants stretched downwards where it ended folded into itself just above his knee area and a large white cloak was draped loosely on his shoulders. The cloak itself comes complete with red and gold epaulettes on its shoulders and the word "Justice" emblazoned smartly in kanji at the back.

A tic appeared on the side of Garp's head as he stormed towards Luffy. "Wake up Captain Monkey D. Luffy!" A fist landed on Luffy's head, smashing him into the deck of the ship.

Luffy jumped up on his feet, rubbing his head in pain, "What was that for, Gramps?!"

Garp placed both his hands on his hips and snorted, "What are you doing sleeping Luffy? We're finally here!" Garp stepped aside and gestured to Luffy's hometown.

Luffy ran towards the prow of the marine battleship, glancing down excitedly at Foosha village. Garp smiled proudly at his grandson, after going through the hellish training he had put him through without much complaints, Luffy had become a splendid marine officer.

With Sabo's apparent death and Ace's departure, Luffy was more than willing to subject himself to various forms of training in order to become stronger.

The first year was spent under Garp himself with an inhuman training plan. Then it was a one year attachment to the CP9 headquarters before finally spending the last year as an apprentice under the Marine admirals Aokiji and Kizaru.

Luffy was finally ready to set out on his own. Luffy turned around to see his Grandfather beaming proudly at him. He smirked at this and saluted to the old timer smartly. Garp's smile broadens, never thinking he would see this day. Sure, he had hoped Ace would join the Marines too, but he shrugged that he can never get everything he wanted in life.

"Thanks for the ride Vice Admiral Garp! I shall begin my mission here!" Luffy turned and prepared to jump away from the ship.

"Oh, Luffy! Before I forget!" Garp reached out his hand that was holding on to a piece of paper. "I managed to get the higher-ups to comply with your… unusual requests"

Both Grandson and Grandfather grinned at this. Garp cleared his throat as he brought the piece of paper in front of him.

"Your request for the authority to seek out and assemble your own marine team was granted. Your group will be known as a separate marine entity operating directly under Vice Admiral Garp's command as the "Straw Hat Marines", receiving orders only from him and his associates."

Luffy listened intently as Garp stole a wink at him.

"Your group would not require to respond to any dispatch calls unless directly ordered to and would remain autonomous while in service. You are also granted permission to arrest any criminals and claim their bounties for your personal expenses, but you will not be allowed to requisition for monetary supplies from any marine base outside of essential living supplies. You are also granted the authority to arrest and detain any marines that have performed any criminal activities."

Garp frowned a little at this, realizing that the Headquarters was essentially making Luffy a bounty hunter. Luffy did not seem to mind this in the slightest, though, seeing it as another way to attest his strength to Headquarters.

"As for your first mission, you are required to patrol around the East Blue area and root out any criminal activity in the region. Report back any notable activities directly back to Headquarters and your station shall continue to remain in said location until told otherwise. Signed, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

Garp folded the paper neatly and handed it to Luffy, who deposited it into one of his pants pockets.

"Thanks Grandpa, you're the best!" Luffy gave a thumbs up.

"Wahahaha! Make me proud, Luffy!" Garp was grinning widely. "Go show me the results of your training! I've asked the mayor to prepare a boat for you so go kick some ass!"

"Shishishi! See ya, gramps!" Luffy turned towards the town and leaped into the air.

" _ **GEPPO!**_ " With a single step, Luffy managed to land on the shore of the town before turning around and giving one final wave to the departing ship.

* * *

When the battleship is only a small speck in the horizon, Luffy was ready to leave in his small boat with most of the town to see him off.

"I'm off everyone!" Luffy waved at the villagers. "I'm going to become an Admiral!"

The villagers cheered as Luffy slowly drifted away when suddenly, water exploded behind the departing marine. The Lord of the Coast growled menacingly at the small boat as Luffy turned to regard it.

"Shishishi, I almost forgot about you boy. I'm not the same weakling as before!" Luffy grinned.

The Sea King roared and lunged towards Luffy, jaws wide open.

Luffy smirked as he dropped into his battle stance, feet apart.

" _ **Rankyaku!**_ " Luffy kicked his foot in an arc, sending a compressed blade of air towards the Sea King, slicing his head cleanly off.

The villagers cheered as Luffy turned to wave at them again.

"He's going to achieve great things," the mayor sighed contentedly.

"We're going to miss him," Makino agreed beside him, still waving.

* * *

 _A few hours later_

"Whew, that was a close one, if I wasn't paying attention, that whirlpool would have been the end of me!" Luffy laughed.

Hearing shouting ahead, Luffy turned and spied land with a small ship anchored next to it.

"Alright! There seems to be some people there!" Luffy stood on the prow of his small boat, arms crossed and his coat waving behind him with the wind.

"My first mission, I can't screw this up if I want to be an Admiral! Shishishi!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the island_

A small pink haired boy with round framed glasses was leaving from locking up a storage shed near the beach.

"Hey Coby!"

Coby turned to see three pirates bearing down at him.

"You have the key to the storage room right?" A pirate stepped closer, making Coby shrink back.

"Er… Yes? Why do you need it?" Coby was shivering in fear, trying to hide behind his hands that were raised in fear.

"Give it to us, we have er… some inspection to do." One of them smiled.

"If… If Captain Alvida finds out…" Coby tried, only for one of them to smack him across the head, sending him sprawling on to the floor.

"Shut up! If you don't say anything, she won't know, right?" The three pirates began laughing.

"Now shut up and give us the key you stupid boy!" The three began advancing on him.

"Hey guys!" A sudden voice startled the four of them. Turning around, they saw a foolishly grinning boy wearing a straw hat waving at them while walking towards them.

The three pirates immediately drew out their swords and pointed it towards the advancing boy.

"Who are you?"

"Where did you come from?"

"What are you doing here?"

All three pirates questioned him at the same time, waving their weapons at him menacingly.

Luffy frowned at this and disappeared, reappearing behind them with their weapons in hand. "It's dangerous to point these at people you know…" Luffy dropped the swords on the ground beside him.

While the pirates are still recovering from the shock of losing their weapons so easily, Coby pointed a shaky finger at Luffy.

"You're… You're a marine!"

This shook the three pirates out of their stupor as they immediately turned and ran from them, shouting "Marines are here!"

"Hey, you know what's gotten in to them?" Luffy asked, pointing at the escaping pirates.

Coby clung on to Luffy's cloak, tears streaming pass his cheeks. "Sir! You have to help me! My name is Coby and I was kidnapped by these pirates and was forced to serve under them for the past two years in order to survive!"

"Wow, you actually stayed with them for the whole two years?" Luffy was taken aback.

Coby nodded dumbly, still sniffling.

"I mean, if you don't like this place so much, why haven't you left yet?" Luffy looked questioningly at Coby.

Coby fell back on his hunches at these words. "Impossible, impossible, impossible! If I had tried to leave, they would have killed me!"

Luffy laughed at this, placing his hands on his hips, mimicking his Grandpa, "Well if you're so afraid of them, all you have to do is get stronger, then beat them!"

Coby was furiously shaking his head this time, "No! No! No! Definitely impossible! I can never do it! I'm just a weak—"

Coby's words were cut off as Luffy's fist landed abruptly on his head. Coby screamed in pain, clutching at his head. "Why did you hit me?"

"Never say that anything is impossible Coby. If you're strong, anything is possible." Luffy held out his hand to pull Coby up.

"Tell me, Coby, do you have something you want to do?" Luffy grinned.

"Something… I want to do?"

"Yeah, like my dream is to become a Marine Admiral one day!" Luffy beamed proudly.

"Wow… An Admiral... I…" Coby looked down at his feet. To have such a dream, the boy in front of him must be strong. Unlike himself, who always cowered and hid himself whenever something threatened him. His own dream of joining the Marines paled in comparison to the boy standing in front of him.

' _I can never be like him…'_ Coby thought sadly.

Luffy, seeing his depression, smacked him on the head again, gaining another cry of pain from Coby. "Listen Coby, anyone can become strong as long as they have the will, just don't ever give up! Pursue your dreams!"

Luffy punched into the air victoriously, smiling up at the sky. "Shout out your dreams for the world to hear! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it!"

Coby, emboldened by Luffy's energy, turned towards the sea and shouted out his dream. "I'm going to be a Marine!"

Luffy looked at the boy, grinning. "A Marine huh?"

"Yeah! I'm going to become a great marine and catch tons of bad guys like Alvida!" Coby shouted proudly.

"Who are you going to catch, Coby?" A menacing voice said behind them.

Both boys turned to see Alvida and her crew glaring at them with their weapons drawn. Alvida swung her giant mace menacingly before propping it up on her shoulder. Luffy could swear she heard her growl at them.

"I… Er…" Coby stuttered, his earlier courage gone.

"Hey Coby, who's the fatty?" Luffy pointed at Alvida nonchalantly.

Everyone's jaw dropped at his statement and Coby began to panic.

"You can't say that sir!" Coby waved his hands at the marine in a panic.

Luffy tilted his head, confused, "why not?"

"Because Alvida is…" Coby peeked at the fuming Alvida, then back at the grinning face of the Marine officer.

"Because I'm what, Coby?" Alvida sneered, swinging her mace around her bulbous body.

Coby took one more glance at the Marine, before breathing in and shouted, "Because she's the ugliest and fattest pirate I've ever seen!" Coby announced with tears in his eyes.

Everyone on Alvida's crew wrung their hands in the air in a panic as Alvida's face reddened with anger.

"Shishishishi! Well said Coby!" Luffy laughed.

Alvida charged towards Coby, swinging her mace at him but Luffy stepped in between them, raising an arm to block the incoming blow.

" _ **Tekkai!**_ " Luffy took the full blow of the mace without flinching, rebounding the mace away from him. Everyone's jaw dropped at this inhuman feat.

"So I take it that you are Captain Alvida right? With a current bounty of five Million?" Luffy snickered, lowering his arm.

Alvida squinted her eyes at the boy, "Who are you?"

"Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Marines and I'm here to arrest you under the name of justice!" Luffy grinned.

"Like I'll let you! Die stupid Marine!" Alvida charged towards Luffy, her mace raised in the air.

Luffy smirked as he stood, unmoving in the face on Alvida's wild swinging. When her mace was about to hit him from above, he nimbly stepped to the right before stepping forward to deliver a single punch into her abdomen.

Alvida's grip on her mace loosened, letting it crash on to the floor as her eyes rolled back to her head. As Luffy retracted his hand, she slumped on to the ground without resistance, already unconscious.

Luffy turned to the other pirates, grinning at the wide-eyed, open mouthed crew. "Anyone else?"

All the pirates immediately shook their head in fear.

"Coby, help me find some rope and tie her up!" Coby rushed off to do as he was asked. "The rest of you, well… You guys don't really have any bounties so scram!" All of Alvida's crew immediately took to their heels.

Luffy whipped out a baby den den mushi, "Reporting in, this is Captain Monkey D. Luffy. HQ do you receive?"

"Receiving you loud and clear, captain, go ahead."

"I have pirate captain Alvida in my custody, sending you the coordinates to her current location. Over." Luffy grinned as Coby finished tying the still unconscious Alvida to a nearby tree.

"Understood Captain, a ship will be dispatched to pick her up, good work. Marine base out."

Luffy returned the snail back to his cloak and turned to Coby. "Coby, do you still want to be a Marine?"

Coby stared back with all the determination he could, "Yes, sir!"

"Shishishi! Alright then! There should be a Marine base nearby, I'll sign you up with them!" Luffy grinned.

Coby broke out in a wide smile and rushed to grasp Luffy's hands, thanking him profusely while shaking his hands.

"Onward to Shells town!" Luffy grinned, with Coby laughing alongside him.


	3. Chapter 3: The new mate

The small boat carrying two bobbed along steadily as the wind blew behind it.

"So how did you become so strong, Luffy?" Coby asked, keeping his hand on the boat's rudder.

Luffy grinned, sitting at the prow of the boat with his Marine coat on his shoulders. "I trained with the best of course! Even though the training was hard, I never once thought of giving up! I have to become an Admiral one day, after all."

"Wow…" Coby gasped in amazement. "Do you think I can be as strong as you, Luffy?"

Luffy looked at the boy's wonder-filled eyes before flashing him a smile, "It'll depend on you, Coby! If you have the will to do it, I'm sure you can be strong too!"

"Wow... Oh, Luffy, why are you travelling alone? I thought a Marine captain like yourself should have a crew of some sort?" Coby asked, finally noticing the oddity of the situation.

Luffy stood up, cloak fluttering behind him as the wind blew past. "I met a pirate when I was young once. He came to my village and stayed there for a while."

"Oh no! Were they raiding it?" Coby asked, shocked.

Luffy shook his head quickly, "Oh, no, no. They were good guys even though they were pirates. Not all pirates are bad, Coby, some are good guys."

Coby scratched his head in confusion, still trying to grasp the probability of there being a 'good' pirate.

"Anyway, those pirates were strong, even stronger than I am right now. The captain himself saved my life when I was about to be eaten by a Sea King then, and I swore to him that I will become stronger. In order to do that, I need to form my own crew strong enough to face other strong criminals that are in the New World!" Luffy beamed proudly at Coby, who looked on in admiration.

"I heard there's a swordsman that was recently spotted around Shells town. He's supposedly the best swordsman in this part of the sea, but I heard he's currently detained by the Marines."

Coby's eyes widened at this, "you… you don't mean the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro?"

"Yeah! That's him! I'm going to recruit him!" Luffy grinned widely.

"But I heard he's a demon! And he's completely ruthless when he's hunting pirates! I don't think he would suit the image of a Marine…" Coby protested.

"Shishishishi! If you had seen the kinds of Marines out there, you wouldn't be saying that!" Luffy laughed, remembering people like Sakazuki.

Coby was just about to claim that it was impossible before remembering what Luffy had said to him. In order to become stronger, he had to drop the 'impossible' mentality.

"But how will you recruit him? He's currently a captive of the Marines! And I heard he never liked following orders…"

Luffy turned to face him, a big foolish grin plastered on his face, "I'll find a way, Shishishishishi!"

* * *

 _Shells town_

"We're finally here!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping down from the boat onto the harbor as Coby moored their small boat.

"Hey, Coby! Let's go grab something to eat first! Then we'll head to the Marine base to sign you up!" Luffy turned to the elated Coby.

Stepping into a nearby restaurant, Luffy noticed that the atmosphere immediately stiffened upon his entry. Every customer turned away from him and kept their heads down, trying their best not to make eye contact with him.

As their food arrived, even the waiter was shivering as he placed the food in front of them before scampering away as fast as he could.

"Hey Coby, what's wrong with everyone?" Luffy asked, already munching away at his food tactlessly.

"I… I don't know… It seems like they're afraid of us?" Coby whispered carefully.

"Really?" Luffy started scanning the restaurant, looking at everyone who has their heads turned away from them.

"Hey, why are all of you so afraid?" Luffy shouted to the restaurant, which immediately prompted everyone to run out of the restaurant, screaming for their lives.

"Huh, maybe it's because you look scary, Coby." Luffy accused, pointing a piece of meat towards Coby.

"No way! However I see it, it's definitely you!" Coby shouted back, exasperated.

"But why would they be scared of me? I'm a Marine."

"You're right… This doesn't make any sense…" Coby pondered, wondering if it had something to do with the Marines that were currently stationed in the town.

When he turned back to Luffy, he realized Luffy had helped himself to the food that all the customers had left behind.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Coby screamed with shark like teeth.

"What? It's such a waste of good food!" Luffy continued to munch down plates of food from the other tables as Coby shook his head in disbelief.

* * *

"I'm so full!" Luffy exclaimed contentedly as he and Coby made their way to the Marine base.

Going through the front door, they notice a reception counter by the side and a single marine officer seated behind it, fast asleep.

Luffy slammed his palm on the table, immediately waking up the Marine who started spouting that he wasn't asleep and he was awake the whole time. Upon regaining his senses, he finally noticed Luffy and Coby standing in front of him and visibly relaxed.

"Err… Welcome to the 153rd branch Marine base. How can I help you guys?" The Marine raised an eyebrow at the two youths questioningly.

Luffy coughed discreetly, getting the Marine's attention before gesturing to his epaulette, which the Marine's eyes widened upon sight.

"I'm Captain Monkey D. Luffy, reporting in as per my orders to patrol around the East Blue. I have Coby here with me," Luffy gestured at the nervous Coby, who stood at rapt attention. "He wants to sign up as a Marine. I also believe I have a bounty for collection."

The Marine saluted smartly as soon as he heard of Luffy's rank. "Yes sir! I'm sorry sir! Of course sir!" The Marine panicked a bit, before sorting through the papers at his desk.

"I have a report from the Marines that were sent to capture Alvida… Oh… Apparently she managed to escape…"

"WHAT?" Luffy slammed the table in disbelief, cracking the wooden table and causing the Marine officer to recoil in surprise.

"How?" Luffy demanded, the Marine already shaking in fear.

"They… They said... they were transporting her to the ship… and... she broke free from her bindings and... knocked out the Marines around her before... escaping…"

"Oh?" Luffy visibly relaxed. "Is that all? Shishishishi, alright then." Luffy grinned, happy that her escape had nothing to do with him which might have left an undesirable mark on his records.

Confused by his sudden change in demeanor, the Marine continued, "Seeing as how you did indeed capture her but her escape was due to the negligence of the transport crew, Headquarters had decided to issue you with the half equivalent of her bounty, two and a half million berries."

"Ah, thanks. I'll collect that later, give Coby the papers he needs to fill in for his recruitment first." Luffy pushed Coby closer to the counter.

"Yes sir! Um… Sorry kid, if you could just fill these in." The Marine passed a piece of paper and pen to Coby, who began filling them out diligently.

"Ah, that's right. I heard a certain Roronoa Zoro is being detained here. Where is he?" Luffy commented.

The Marine seemed to tense up at the mention of his name but pointed at the window which showed the courtyard.

Luffy glimpsed out of the window to see the mentioned swordsman tied up to a wooden post out in the hot sun, seemingly beaten and exhausted. He wore what seemed to be a white shirt that had been bloodied and dark black pants with a green sash around his waist. A black bandana rests securely around his head, his green hair barely visible sticking out at the ends.

Luffy pushed opened the door without hesitation and made his way to the courtyard. Coby noticed and dashed out after Luffy, leaving the half completed papers and a confused marine behind.

"Luffy, wait!" Coby grabbed on to his hand.

"What is it?" Luffy stopped in his tracks.

"You're really trying to recruit a criminal into your ranks?"

Luffy scratched his chin, "I don't know what he has done, so in my books, he's still good guy!" Luffy grinned.

Coby face palmed at Luffy's naivety, wondering how someone like him could be a Marine captain. A scratching sound from the courtyard attracted their attention as a little girl climbed over the wall with a ladder before running towards the tied up swordsman.

The two youths moved closer to the fence as the girl opened up a small package to reveal two rice balls, offering them to the exhausted swordsman.

"Beat it kid, I don't need your food." Zoro sighed, looking away from the girl.

"I tried my best to make it! Please eat something! They already starved you for a long time already!" the girl cried.

"I'm not hungry! Now get lost!" Zoro yelled back.

The gate flung open nearby as two Marine soldiers escorted a teen into the courtyard. The teen seemed to carry an air or arrogant authority as he wore a permanent smirk on his face. This, in turn, seemed to match his black suit and blonde hair that screamed with arrogance. They did not notice Luffy and Coby standing at the side.

"Hey now, Zoro. Don't be so mean to little kids, or my father might hear about this." The blonde teen smirked, idly stroking the end of his collar.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "if it isn't the bastard son."

"Hey! Watch your mouth! My father's the Captain of this base! I can have you executed if I want to!" The teen raged.

He noticed the girl standing beside Zoro with the rice balls in her hand and quickly advance towards them, snatching a rice ball away from her when he got close.

"These rice balls look tasty, don't waste it on such a useless guy like him! Haha!"

The girl tried to protest but the teen already bit into one before spitting it out again. "Argh! What is this! You're supposed to use salt! Not sugar you damn brat!" He threw the rice ball on the ground and knocked the other one over as well, stamping down with his foot a few times, ignoring the pleas of the girl.

The girl started crying which only made the teen sigh in exasperation, "you brought this upon yourself you know?"

He gestured towards a sign nearby, "Anyone caught helping a prisoner will be charged with the same crime, I'm sure you don't want that do you?"

The girl shook her head quickly.

The teen turned to one of the guards and pointed at the girl, "Throw her out!"

The guard seemed shocked at this and hesitated before he was grabbed by the teen. "You want to disobey me? I'll tell my father! You hear me?!"

"Ay… Aye sir…" The guard quickly took a hold of the girl and brought her to the wall, apologizing to the girl along the way before tossing her, screaming, over the wall.

Luffy jumped over the wall and dashed to catch her before she fell, Coby following behind shortly after. Coby quickly helped the girl up, checking if she was alright as Luffy brushed off the dirt on his cloak.

"You better keep your promise Helmeppo!" Zoro spat.

"Of course, of course," the teen laughed. "If you can survive for this whole month, I'll definitely set you free!"

Helmeppo laughed as he walked away with his guards in tow.

Zoro hung his head and sighed before noticing a shadow on the ground. He lifted up his head again to see a marine with a straw hat staring at him.

"What now?" he groaned.

"You're the best swordsman in East Blue?" Luffy asked skeptically.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question, "What's it to you? You don't look like any of the marines here."

"I don't see any swords on you?" Luffy stared at Zoro's waist.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "that Helmeppo bastard took them when he arrested me of course, you think he'll let me keep them here?"

"How did you end up like this?" Luffy scratched his chin, amused.

"I don't need to tell you, get out of my face." Zoro dropped his head again.

"I'm looking for people to join my Marine crew, I think a swordsman like you will fit right in."

"Well then I'm sorry, but you'll have to look elsewhere." Zoro grinned at the marine. "As you can see, I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

"Shishishishi! You're funny! Alright! I've decided! You'll join my crew!" Luffy laughed.

Zoro's eyes widened, "Hey, hey! I never said I'll join! And besides, I'm still stuck here anyway!"

"I can always help free you," Luffy smirked, stepping towards Zoro.

"Wait, no! Stop!" Zoro shouted him back. "I made a promise to last for a month. If I do, I'm a free man, so I don't need your help!"

"Oh? So how about I wait for you to be released? Will you join then?" Luffy grinned foolishly.

Zoro sighed in exasperation, "No way, I don't want to be a damn Marine, I have my own dreams!"

Luffy's eyes sparkled at that line, "Reeeaally? What is it?" Luffy rushed up to Zoro and stared at him expectantly, causing the swordsman to recoil back in surprise.

"Damn it! You're too close! I have no reason to tell you anyway! Now get lost!"

"Hmph, spoilsport. I'll wait for you then." Luffy turned to go.

"Hey wait, before you go, help me get those rice balls." Zoro gestured with his chin at the muddied rice balls on the ground.

"You're sure? There's more dirt in it than rice now." Luffy picked one up, waving it at Zoro.

"I don't care, just give it to me."

Luffy shrugged and complied, feeding him one of the rice balls that Zoro greedily swallowed before having a coughing fit.

"Hey, *cough* *cough* tell the girl that the rice balls were delicious."

Luffy grinned, "You're a really interesting guy! I definitely want you on my crew!" Luffy ran out of the base before Zoro could protest again.

* * *

"He really said that?" The girl exclaimed, clearly elated by the news.

"Yep, he ate everything! Shishishishi!" Luffy grinned.

"Wow… Maybe rumors are really just rumors after all, he doesn't seem to be a bad guy at all," Coby commented.

The three of them were seated inside the girl's house which happens to be a bar. At first, the girl's mother was hesitant in letting them in, seeing as they were Marines, but relented when Luffy told her that they were not part of Helmeppo's group.

"He isn't!" The girl, Rika, insisted. "He only got in trouble because he wanted to protect me!"

"Really now?" Luffy leaned closer, listening attentively.

"Helmeppo had this big wolf that he would always bring around town to bully people with! And when the wolf was bullying me, brother Zoro saved me from it! He's a really good guy!"

"I see… So this kid is abusing his father's power… As a Marine, I will not allow this to continue…" Luffy clenched his fist.

The door was kicked open without warning as Helmeppo strutted in with his guards.

"This place is still the same dump as before…" He spat, not noticing the trio sitting by the side.

He sat down on one of the tables, resting his legs on the table and shouting insults at the poor condition of the bar.

"Hehehe… That stupid swordsman, he dared to call me a bastard. I'll show him. Hehehe, I'll definitely have him executed tomorrow!"

Luffy stood up and turned to Helmeppo, toppling the chair he was sitting on.

"Didn't you promise to free him in a month?"

Helmeppo squinted at the youth, "Huh? Who the hell are you? You're a marine from the base right? You still don't know I've only been joking with him all these while? Only an idiot will believe that!"

Something snapped in Luffy as he rushed towards Helmeppo and struck him across the face, sending him sprawling on to the floor.

"Luffy!" Coby pulled Luffy back in a panic. "What are you doing?! He's still a marine! Please calm down!"

"Coby, the Marines is not a place where people can abuse their authority." Luffy glared at Helmeppo. "I'm taking Zoro away with me today."

Helmeppo held his face where Luffy had punched him as his guards tried to help him up. "Who the hell do you think you are? Even my dad has never hit me before!"

Luffy rolled up his sleeves, "Then I'll do it in his stead."

"My father's the Captain of this town you stupid no name Marine! He won't let you go with this!" Helmeppo pointed an accusing finger at Luffy as he got to his feet.

"Guards! Get him!" Helmeppo ordered, but the two marines stayed still, looking between Helmeppo and Luffy, unsure of themselves.

Luffy snorted, "Arrogant and ignorant... You!" Luffy pointed at one of the guards whom stiffened at attention.

"Go get Zoro's swords and hand it to him, untie him from his post as well!" The guard hesitated and noticed at Helmeppo glaring at him.

"NOW!" Luffy ordered and the guard immediately scampered off to obey.

"Hey! Come back here! Why are you listening to this guy and not me?" Helmeppo demanded.

"And you," Luffy pointed at the other marine, who also immediately stiffened. "Drag him back to his dad and tell him I want a word with him!"

The marine was sweating profusely as he immediately hauled a screaming Helmeppo over his shoulder and made a dash for it.

"Let's go Coby, time to free my first crew member," Luffy grinned.

* * *

"I am the greatest," a marine said proudly to himself as he stood on top of the marine base. In front of him, a group of marines were struggling to raise up a statue that resembled said marine. He had a metal plate as a jaw and his right hand was replaced with a crude looking axe. A marine coat that had its sleeves torn off rested on his shoulders, revealing his large beefy arms.

"Father!" "Sir!"

Helmeppo and the marine carrying him cried out at the same time as the barged in on to the roof.

The Marine Captain turned to regard the two with critical eyes.

"Dad! I want you to kill someone for me! There's someone in town that actually hit me! And my guards actually betrayed me!" Helmeppo clutched on to his father's cloak, wailing.

"Captain Morgan, sir! There's another Marine Captain that has asked for your presence!"

The other marines turned at this, their eyes filled with mild traces of hope.

"What? What does he want?" Morgan advanced on the marine.

"I… I don't know sir… He only told me… To tell... You that…" The marine shrunk smaller and smaller as the Captain got closer and closer.

"Father! Why don't you care about me? He hit me! You need to take revenge for me!" Helmeppo cried louder, pulling at Morgan's cloak.

Morgan turned around to regard the blonde teen with contempt, "do you know why I never hit you before?"

"Erm… Because I'm your wonderful son?" Helmeppo tried.

"No…" Morgan advanced on Helmeppo. Without warning his left fist flung forward and punched Helmeppo away. "Because you're a bastard son that's not even worth hitting!"

Tears streamed down Helmeppo's face as Morgan picked him up by his collar, "Don't misunderstand here, I am the one that is great here, not you!"

He dropped Helmeppo back on to the floor before turning back to the marine.

"And you! Did you get rid of that Captain?"

The marine seemed to be taken aback at this, before shaking his head.

"Then you're a traitor, don't you know there can only be one Captain here? And that will only be me! Any other Captains that comes here are a threat to my rule and needs to die!"

As the Captain advanced on the marine as he swung his axe by his side. The marine was shivering in fear but dared not move from his spot.

"Captain! There's someone untying our captive!" A marine shouted.

Morgan turned around and walked to the edge of the roof, leaving the marine that just escaped death collapsing on to the floor in relief.

Morgan watched as a marine was untying the binds on Zoro, his three swords laid down on the ground beside him.

"I'm surrounded by traitors! Men! Get down there and stop them!" Morgan yelled, his face red with anger.

* * *

Zoro looked questioningly at the marine that was busy untying his bindings. The marine had rushed out of the base carrying his swords and immediately begun untying his bindings with fervour.

"What are you doing?" Zoro demanded. "You're going to get into trouble for this!"

"I know!" The marine cried, still trying to untie the ropes as sweat poured down his face in fear.

"Then why? I only need to last till the end of the month to be free!" Zoro asked, as his left arm came free.

"You were never going to be freed!" The marine cried. "You were planned to be executed tomorrow! There's another Marine Captain here and he ordered your release once he found out about it. Honestly, no one here likes Morgan but we are forced to obey only because he's our superior. If someone else with authority comes here and tells me to go against him, I'd gladly do so!"

Despite his bravado, Zoro could tell the man was shaking in fear, knowing that his life was probably forfeit. A shadow loomed over the both of them as Zoro looked up just in time to see the falling of Morgan's axe.

Zoro clenched his teeth as he kicked up one of his swords with his left foot and drew it in one fluid motion, parrying the descending blow of the giant axe with his only free hand.

"Impressive, you're not the best swordsman of East Blue for show," Morgan grunted. He glimpsed at the cowering Marine, who had already collapsed on to the floor in fear.

"As for you, little traitor. I think the death sentence should suit you properly!" Morgan raised his axe to strike again but Zoro stepped in between the two, all three of his swords drawn, catching the downward swing of the axe in between the two swords in his hands.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Why would you defend the ones who tied you up in the first place?"

"This has nothing to do with that," Zoro sneered, pushing the axe away and causing Morgan to stumble back a few steps.

"Have it your way, fool! Men!" Morgan turned to call out the squad of marines that had their rifles held ready.

Zoro cursed as he stood between the rifles and the still sprawled marine behind him.

' _I can't die here! Not before I've fulfilled my dream!'_

"FIR—"

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" a commanding voice boomed.

Everyone turned to regard the enraged Marine captain that stood at the gates. The air around him was pulsating in waves and the wire gates were creaking under the immense pressure the teen was giving out.

Coby hid behind as Luffy started walking towards the group, fists clenched and eyes burning with rage.

"ALL OF YOU! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" The world seem to shake with each word.

The Marines immediately lowered their rifles without hesitation, feeling an immense pressure wash over them.

Morgan could feel his right arm shaking from the pulsating waves of Haki that Luffy was exuding.

"Who are you?!" Morgan demanded, his face clenched in anger.

"I am Captain Monkey D. Luffy," he stopped just a few feet from Morgan. "Captain Morgan, with my authority, I hereby strip you of your rank and position. You are no longer a Marine."

Luffy's voice was deceivingly calm as the rage in his eyes were clear for all to see.

"You brat! What right do you have to do that?!" Morgan demanded with unrestrained fury.

Luffy unfurled a paper from within his coat, showing everyone in the vicinity the official paper that he held.

"I am charged with the mission and authority to root out and deal with any criminal activity in this vicinity," Luffy glared pointedly at Morgan, lowering his head so that his straw hat obscured a part of his eyes. "I have decided that your oppression of this town was deemed worthy as a crime. Give yourself up, Captain Morgan."

"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" Morgan charged towards Luffy without warning, his axe raised in the air to strike him down.

Luffy calmly placed the folded paper back into his coat before vanishing and reappearing directly in front of Morgan.

Grabbing on to Morgan's left shoulder with his right hand, Luffy brought his knee smashing up into Morgan's chin, cracking the metal plate and sending him flying backwards.

The former Captain collapsed on to the floor, the whites of his eyes showing. Luffy landed and brushed the dust off his knee, barely a scratch.

Zoro stared at Luffy in wonder, how had such a carefree and foolish boy have so much power?

"Who's next in command?" Luffy demanded. A single marine stepped out immediately before saluting smartly.

"Commander Ripper reporting, sir!"

Luffy looked at the man up and down before grinning, all tension disappearing from him. "Good, good. I'm placing you in charge of this base. And have someone contact HQ for me to report about this," Luffy pointed down at the prone Morgan. "While you're at it, get rid of that disgusting statue too." Luffy stuck his tongue out in disgust at the statue at the rook of the base.

"Aye, sir!" Ripper saluted again with a grin before ordering a few people to carry Morgan back to the base to be detained.

"Oh one more thing," Luffy grinned widely, pointing at Coby who still stood by the gate. "That's a new recruit I picked up for ya, be sure to sign him up for me!"

Ripper looked back at the boy and nodded immediately.

Zoro stepped in beside him, his swords sheathed.

"So Zoro, ready to join my crew?" Luffy smirked.

Zoro sighed, "I told you I have a dream before didn't I?"

Luffy's eyes sparkled at this, grasping Zoro by the shoulders firmly, "Tell me? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Plea—"

"Geez! I get it!" Zoro pushed Luffy off. "I want to be the strongest Swordsman in the world. That's my dream, and in order to do that, I need to defeat the one that currently holds that title… Dracule Mihawk. I don't suppose you can help me achieve that can you?"

"Oh, you mean Hawky?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Hawky?" Zoro cringed at the name.

"Yeah, I hung out with him a couple of times when my Gramps was training me, he was kinda cool. I liked his hat, shishishishi" Luffy grinned.

Zoro was left speechless at this, even if he was a Marine, not everyone gets to meet any of the Seven Warlords whenever they wanted to.

"If you want, I might be able to arrange a meeting between you two? But you must agree to join my crew first!" Luffy grinned.

"You! Argh! Fine! I'll do it! But don't you dare stand in the way of my ambition! Or I'll make sure you die by my sword!" Zoro threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Shishishishi! Wouldn't dream of it! After all, an Admiral's crew should only have the best!" Luffy laughed.

"An Admiral eh? So that's your goal?" Zoro smiled.

Luffy nodded and grinned foolishly.

"Captain Luffy! Sir!" A marine ran up to them, in his hands was a baby den den mushi. "HQ requested for you!"

Luffy's demeanour turned serious as he picked up the den den mushi.

"This is Captain Monkey D. Luffy speaking, go ahead Headquarters."

"Captain Luffy, good work on handling Captain Morgan, we've dispatched a ship to pick him up."

"Thank you, is there anything else?"

"Yes, a distress call has been received from Orange town, apparently some pirates have been spotted in the vicinity. You're not obligated to respond to it, but you're the closest one to the town right now."

"I understand, I'll head there right away." Luffy nodded.

"Thank you, HQ out."

Luffy passed the den den mushi back and turned to Zoro, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be, Captain." Zoro grinned, already liking his new Captain.

"Straw Hat Marines, mobilize!"


	4. Chapter 4: A Thief Among Us

Zoro tugged at the marine jacket that he wore. It was a long sleeve zip jacket that he left open at the front to reveal a white undershirt that had the word 'Marines' emblazoned across the chest. The marine insignia was also on clear display at the back of the jacket.

Luffy sat at the prow of the boat, sea chart in one hand and a compass in another, his prominent Marine coat resting on his shoulders. A pencil wagged up and down between his teeth as Luffy tried to plot a course.

"So how's the route, Captain?" Zoro asked, one hand held firmly on the rudder to ensure they stayed on course.

Luffy sighed as he took out the pencil from his mouth and drew a small circle around the map, some ways away from a plot of land and a black dot that marked 'Orange Town'.

"Honestly, I know crap about navigating. Everyone was too focused on making me **physically** stronger and told me to leave these kinds of things to my crew…" Luffy sighed again. "I can only tell that we're around this area," Luffy pointed to the circle he drew. "At best, we're four to five hours away; at worse, probably another day."

Zoro rolled his eyes, "how were you expecting to survive in the sea if you can't even navigate?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue, "My orders were to patrol the sea, not to investigate specific islands… So I thought I would just let myself drift from place to place… hehe…"

Zoro facepalmed, "Remind me why I agreed to join you again?" Luffy just laughed it off.

"How's our food supply?" Luffy asked, mouth already watering while reaching for the barrels beside Zoro.

Zoro held his hand up to Luffy's face and pushed him back, "Hold it! You already ate enough for three people just barely two hours ago! At this rate we won't have enough to last the day!"

"Stingy…" Luffy pouted, rubbing his nose.

"Hey, do you think that kid will be alright?" Zoro sighed, making sure Luffy wasn't going to make a lunge for their already dwindling food supply.

"He'll be fine," Luffy waved his hand nonchalantly. "He's a good kid, he'll definitely be a good marine."

Zoro shrugged, after they locked up Morgan, the whole town was thrown into celebration. Commander Ripper had personally oversaw Coby's enlistment as well as Helmeppo's at Coby's insistence, claiming that it would serve as a good enough punishment for his previous attitude.

Though the town was rather disappointed that their saviours were not staying for the celebration, the Marine base immediately provided rations and Luffy's claimed bounty to be stowed away on their boat. With theoretically enough food to last for ten days and two and a half million berries richer, the two man Marine team set off for Orange town.

Zoro quickly found out that the initial estimation of ten days' worth of food was only four days' worth if you had to feed Luffy. To Luffy's annoyance, Zorro made himself the unofficial guard for the barrel of provisions and smacked his Captain whenever he tried to take any extra food from him.

Luffy's ears pricked up as he heard three 'voices' with his Observation Haki, the inhuman training that Garp had put him through had taught him to maintain his Haki at all times with minimal effort. He turned to the direction of the voice, spotting three small specks in the horizon trying their best to keep themselves afloat.

"Zorro! Take the oars! There's three guys drowning over there!" Luffy yelled, pointing in the direction.

"What? I don't see anything?" Zoro squinted his eyes.

"Just do it!" Luffy ordered, prompting Zoro to immediately make a grab for the oars and row as hard as he could.

The screaming could finally be heard a few moments later as the three men made a beeline for the approaching boat, begging them to let them on.

Zoro stopped his rowing and helped haul the three soaked sailors on board, grunting as he did so.

"Hey! Thanks for saving us!" One of them cried, wringing his shirt dry.

"Yeah, you guys are lifesavers!" A second one chimed in, emptying water out from his shoe.

"Now hand over your boat!" The third pulled out a knife which spurred the other two to do the same.

Zoro's and Luffy's eyebrows twitched.

* * *

The three introduced themselves as members of the 'Buggy Pirates' and apologized profusely on their knees. All three of them had welts and bruises on their face and their hands bound together as two of them are now rowing as hard as they could with their hands bound.

"Please accept our humblest apologies! We didn't know it was the 'Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro'! Nor did we expect to meet such an esteemed figure like a Marine Captain out here in these parts!" The last pirate had his hands held together in a prayer gesture as he repeatedly bowed his head towards the two seated, fuming figures.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Zoro sighed.

"Oh! It was so horrible Zoro-sama!"

"A girl tricked us! She pretended to be in need of help in her little boat!"

"Then she lured us on to her boat before stealing ours and took all our treasure with it!"

"What made it worse was the sudden storm hit us and sunk the boat with us!"

"It was like she planned the whole thing!"

"It was really horrible! Zoro-sama!"

Luffy and Zoro stared at the three incredulously, wondering how they managed to synchronise their explanation with one another, then whether the girl could actually predict the storm to happen at that time. Both of them shaking their heads in disbelief.

"How far away are we from Orange town?" Luffy sighed, uninterested in their constant groveling.

"Oh! Not far at all, Captain Luffy-sama! It's only an hour away! In fact, you can actually see it on the horizon!" The pirate pointed at the speck of land in the horizon.

Luffy sighed again, "listen well then, once we reach the island, I will be apprehending this… er… Buggy captain of yours, so if you don't want to be involved, grab a boat and leave. Understand?"

"Oh yes, certainly, Captain Luffy-sama!"

* * *

In a little over an hour, their boat was securely tied to the harbour as they disembarked onto the deserted town. Luffy spots a huge pirate ship anchored nearby, a ridiculously huge circus tent was pitched below the main mast.

"That's Buggy's ship alright," Zoro nodded towards the ship. "I once thought of going after his head, but never actually found him."

"Where is he?" Luffy turned to the shaking pirates.

"We set up camp at the top of the bar over there…" the pirate pointed a finger at the barely visible circus top jutting out among the town buildings.

"Can we go now?" The pirates looked ready to piss their pants.

Zoro glanced at Luffy who gave him a nod. He unsheathed his blade and before the pirates could flinch, swiftly brought his blade down in three consecutive strikes, severing the ropes around their wrists.

Not waiting for another second, the three pirates took to their heels, screaming.

Zoro sheathed his blade and entered the ghost town alongside Luffy. Before they could take ten steps in, a ray of light flashed through the town, spewing dust and debris in all directions.

"What?" Both men gasped, watching as the dust cleared to reveal a large portion of the town has been flattened. The buildings looked like a giant boulder had bulldozed its way through the town in an attempt to reach the sea, flattening most of the town in the process.

"What happened?" Zoro gaped, jaws slack in confusion.

"I don't know… but the light came from over there…" Luffy pointed to the bar where the pirates supposedly were.

"It must be their doing then, we have no time to lose if we want to protect the rest of the town…" Zoro tied his bandana around his head, eyes serious.

"There's someone coming this way too… "Luffy turned, hearing footsteps coming from an alley.

"Hold it! You thief!" A woman burst through the alley and ran straight into them, knocking Zoro sprawling on to the floor.

"Watch it." Zoro growled, standing up and dusting off his jacket.

The woman cursed under her breath as she massaged her head, where she had hit Zoro. She was about to run again when three pirates ran out from the alley, swords drawn and panting.

"Stop right there you thieving cat! Don't make this harder than it has to be!"

The woman clutched the paper she held in her hands closer as she backed away, noticing the other two standing beside her for the first time.

"Hey, who are you guys?" One of the pirates pointed a sword at Zoro.

"Hey! These guys are Marines!" Another gasped, spotting the Marine insignia both of them wore.

The girl recollected her thoughts before giving the two Marines a grin, "Hey, thanks boss, I'll leave these guys to you!" She took to her heels before anyone else to react.

"No way! She's a Marine?"

"That explains everything…"

"We'll finish up these guys here then gut her later."

All three pirates snarled, advancing on the two stationary Marines.

"Allow me, Captain," Zoro unsheathed his swords. " **Oni Giri!"**

Zoro slashed through the three pirates, who immediately collapsed on the floor, each one bearing a single slash mark. Zoro swiped his blade to clean of the blood before sheathing each of his blades.

"Wow, you guys took them down easily!"

Both men looked up to spot the girl from before sitting at the edge of the roof.

"Are you guys Marines?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Luffy demanded, clearly unhappy with the stunt she pulled on them.

The girl hopped off the roof to land in front of him, waving her hands in a placating gesture, "Sorry, sorry. It was just that those pirates have been chasing me for quite a while and I panicked."

She stretched out her hand to Luffy, "My name is Nami. I'm the best navigator you'll ever find!"

Luffy looked at the hand then at her, raising an eyebrow before shaking it, "Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Marines. Are you the one that sent the distress call?"

Nami shook her head, "That would be the other villagers, I was only passing through."

"And by 'passing through' you mean stealing from pirates eh?" Zoro eyed the map that was clearly in Nami's hand.

"Er… Well… They're pirates anyway right? It's not so bad if you're stealing from criminals?" Nami tried, fidgeting under Zoro's stare.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," Zoro commented, unmoving.

Luffy stepped in between them, "alright, alright. We're only here for Buggy, nothing more. You can go if you wish."

"Hey wait, how about I help you guys?" Nami suggested, suddenly very enthusiastic.

"Help us? Capture Buggy?" Zoro sneered, eyeing the girl.

"Yeah, I can say that I mutinied on you guys and captured you as an offering to Buggy so that I can join his crew. Then when they're drunk celebrating, I can release you guys to capture the intoxicated pirates. Easy right?"

Luffy and Zoro looked at each other before turning back to her.

"There's something else you're after, spill it." Zoro growled.

Seeing that she can't fool the two Marines, she smiled sheepishly, "Well, I would prefer if you two wouldn't mind me… 'Liberating' some of their assets…"

"Still after money huh?" Zoro smirked.

Nami shrugged, "I can't say I don't love having more money than I can spend in my pockets."

"Did you trick three pirates at sea before you got here?" Luffy asked.

Nami tilted her head and pretended to think, "I may have, but what's it to you?"

"So you can predict the weather?" Luffy watched Nami carefully.

Nami shook her hands quickly, "Oh no. Not really at least, I can just tell the weather patterns more easily than others."

"Alright then, deal, but if you try anything…" Luffy held up a finger as a warning.

Zoro's eyes widened, "Captain, you can't be serious, we don't even need her help. We'll just plow right through them."

"True… But I'm hungry… And I don't want to fight while I'm hungry…" Luffy groaned, rubbing his belly.

Both Zoro and Nami stared at Luffy in disbelief.

* * *

The roof of the bar was in disarray, a few pirates were scurrying about the place in what seemed to be a celebration put on hold.

There were barrels of alcohol and tables of food strewn around the place. The tension in the air was so tight it could almost be cut.

Most of the pirates were gathered in front of the big tent that housed their captain, Buggy, now sitting on his throne and tapping his right hand on the armrest impatiently. In front of him stood the thief that his men had a ridiculous amount of trouble capturing and tied up beside her were her "boss and associate".

"Since I'm sick and tired of working for the Marines and not even getting a decent pay for all my work, I'd thought that becoming a pirate and joining you guys would be so much better!" Nami flashed her best 'I'm so totally telling the truth' smile.

"So you really turned against them eh?" Buggy looked at the two bound Marines with disdain.

One was nodding off to sleep while the other just glared at everyone that dared to make eye contact.

He stood up from his throne, advancing on the two Marines sitting cross-legged beside Nami, ignoring Zoro's glare.

"Heh, so you two idiots got betrayed eh? Gyahahahaha! What a bunch of fools!" Buggy laughed heartily as the rest of his crew joined in.

"Hey wait..." Buggy finally noticed Zoro's waist. "Three swords? You wouldn't happen to be 'pirate hunter Zoro, would you?" Buggy glared.

Zoro smirked, shrugging "I quit being a bounty hunter some time ago, I'm a Marine now."

Buggy growled, "Men! Take his swords away! And bring more rope to bind him!"

Zoro scowled at this, standing up suddenly, unfazed by the number of men around him. "You touch my swords and I'll make sure none of you touches anything again."

Nami smacked him hard on the head, yelling, "What the hell are you doing? Can't you see there's way more pirates than you? You don't stand a chance!"

Zoro glared at the girl while Buggy laughed again, "You truly are one of us now, girl!"

Zoro gritted his teeth, "I don't care, I already suffered the embarrassment of losing my swords a few days ago and I'm not going to let it happen again!"

"Why you..." Nami began to raise her hand again.

"Zoro," Luffy finally spoke up.

Everyone turned to regard the Marine Captain that had been silent all this while. He grinned at Zoro, "Do whatever you want"

Zoro grinned back, "with pleasure, Captain."

In a flash, the ropes that bound his upper body were severed and his swords were unsheathed. "Change of plans, Nami. We're taking them down now." Zoro smirked.

"So you lied to us..." Buggy glared pointedly at Nami, who was beginning to sweat.

She started to mouth an excuse but felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Luffy standing beside her, bindings already undone.

"Relax Nami, we got this." Luffy smiled reassuringly. "Hey Zoro!"

"Yes Captain?"

"You handle these guys first, I'm going to take some of their food." Without waiting for a reply, he walked off towards the closest table piled with food.

Zoro only grinned at this as he glared down the pirates surrounding them, all with weapons drawn. "Of course, Captain."

Without any warning, he lunge towards the closest pirate, already cutting him and sending him sprawling on the ground.

In unison, the pirates shouted a battle cry and charged at Zoro, only to be mowed down in a furry of blades. A few of them went after Nami, now knowing she had no intention of joining them in the first place.

Nami muttered a curse under her breath as she assembled her staff that was hidden underneath her skirt, trying her best to fend off the furious pirates.

"Captain," a swordsman rolled out beside Buggy on a unicycle. He was wearing a chequered scarf and baggy pants with only a long overcoat to cover his torso. "I can handle these two by myself."

"Cabaji," Buggy regarded the swordsman. He nodded and jerked his head at Luffy who was busy shovelling food into his mouth. "But get him first, he's getting on my nerves."

Cabaji charged towards Luffy, his two sabres poised to strike at his back. When he as within striking distance, three swords flashed in front of him, parrying his attacks. Zoro stood in front of him, both their swords locked in position.

"Would you mind not disturbing my Captain while he's eating?" Zoro grunted.

Cabaji grinned, "It's an honour to cross swords with you, Roronoa!"

"I can't say the same to you, you circus freak." Zoro grunted, pushing Cabaji away from him.

"Leave him to me boys! I want to fight him!" Cabaji shouted, fully concentrating on Zoro now.

Zoro stuck both of his swords in the ground and tied his bandana around his head before picking his swords up again.

Both swordsman charged at each other, striking both of their swords at the same time. Before Zoro could push away, Cabaji pulled down his scarf and blew a gout of blame at him.

" **Acrobat technique: Fire Trick!"**

Zoro leaped backwards as he tried to avoid the flames, shielding his face with his left hand. Cabaji took the opportunity and delivered a right kick to Zoro's abdomen, pushing him onto the floor.

Cabaji charged at Zoro again, his swords lunging towards him. Zoro grunted as he got up from the ground, parrying his two sword lunges away and delivering a satisfying head-butt to Cabaji's face, sending him off his unicycle.

"You dirty bastard!" Cabaji screamed.

"Says the guy with the circus tricks," Zoro smirked, charging once again at Cabaji.

" **Murder Mist Attack!"** Cabaji cried, as he swung his sword on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Zoro stopped at the edge of the cloud, swords held ready.

Without warning, Cabaji appeared from within the cloud, swords held on his right and slashing towards Zoro. Zoro blocked it with both his swords, planning to cut him with the sword in his mouth.

Cabaji let go of the sword in his left hand and threw a bunch of dirt that he had hid at Zoro's face.

"You asshole!" Zoro winced in pain as he stepped back, trying to get the dirt out from his eyes. Cabaji did not lose the opportunity to stab his sword towards Zoro, who barely managed to deflect it at the last second.

"I'm tired of this, you call yourself a swordsman and yet you resort to these petty tricks!" Zoro fumed, finally regaining his full sight.

"I'll do anything it takes to win, fool." Cabaji grinned.

"Come to my face and say it, I dare you." Zoro grunted, settling into a stance.

Cabaji charged one more time at him, swords held by his side prepared to slash. Just as he was reaching his target, Zoro lashed out with all three swords.

" **Oni Giri!"**

Three slashes marked itself on Cabaji as he passed by Zoro.

"Impossible… You're only Marines…" Cabaji gasped before collapsing on the floor.

"That's enough, Roronoa Zoro!" A man shouted, causing said swordsman to turn to face him.

A man with his hair styled to look like he had bear ears on top of his head was standing beside Nami, who was now tied up and kneeling on the floor. A huge lion stood behind her, a paw on top of her head, not allowing her to rise.

"Move another step and she gets it!" The man grinned victoriously.

"Gyahahahaha! Well done Mohji! Hold that bitch there!" Buggy laughed.

Zoro was about to move before the lion pushed Nami's head even lower, growling at Zoro.

Seeing that he had control over the situation again, Buggy laughed as his man brought in a cannon.

"Since you guys had pissed me off so much, I'll give you guys the honour of death with my best weapon! Men, load in the Buggy ball!"

A black cannon ball with their pirate Jolly Roger was loaded into the cannon, a pirate immediately lit the fuse and the cannon was pointed at the town.

"To demonstrate its power… Men! Fire the Buggy ball!"

Nami watched in horror a huge flash of white light emanated from the cannon towards the town. When the light finally dimmed, the buildings that once stood tall and proud were reduced to rubble within the cannon's aim.

"Gyahahahaha! Be proud you made me use this on you, you filthy Marines!" Buggy laughed as they redirected the cannon to point at the stationary Marines.

"So that's what you used to destroy the town earlier?" Zoro glared at Buggy.

"Gyahahahaha! Of course! And now, I'm going to use it on you!" Buggy laughed maniacally.

"Run you idiots! Why are you risking your lives for me?!" Nami cried, only for Mohji to smack her across her face to shut her up.

"Oi, oi. Captain, this doesn't look good…" Zoro sweated.

"Rewlwax Zwowwo," Luffy waved his hand nonchalantly, talking even with his mouth still full of food. "Jwust thwust mwe."

Zoro looked at him, unconvinced, "If you're so sure, Captain…"

"Fire the Buggy ball!" Buggy cried as the fuse was lit.

"No!" Nami cried as the cannon was fired. A blinding light flashed towards the two Marines, only to be abruptly dissipated. The smoke cleared to reveal a Strawhat Marine chomping down on some food as he held on to the cannon ball with his right hand.

Everyone's eyes popped out and their jaws reached the ground.

"WHHHAAATTT?!" Everyone screamed in unison.

Swallowing his food, Luffy let out a contented belch as he let the bomb drop on the floor, letting it smoulder.

"That was some good food," he grinned.

" **Soru!** "

He appeared in front of Mohji, his face impassive. "You dared to hit her…"

The air was cackling as Luffy delivered a punch to Mohji's face, sending him flying off the roof into the street below.

"How dare you, you filthy Marine! Richie!" Buggy called out to the lion. "Kill that thief!"

But Richie stayed still. In fact, he stayed so still people wondered if he was still alive. His sweat was pouring down his face like a waterfall as Luffy advanced on him.

"You **will** let her go." It wasn't a request, nor a demand. Luffy was commanding him to do as he said.

Richie slowly lifted his paw off Nami's head and stepped aside, all the while cowering in fear of this strawhat boy.

Luffy stuck his right index finger out pointed it at Nami's bindings.

" **Shigan Rankyaku** "

Jabbing his finger forward, a small bullet of air pressure sliced cleanly through the rope, not touching Nami at all. Nami just stared incredulously at Luffy as her bindings fell free beside her.

"I'll only say this once, Buggy the Clown, give up before you get hurt."

"Fat chance! I'll take you on myself you damn Marine!" Buggy cried, bringing out knives from under his cloak. Although rather uneasy about this Marine Captain's sudden display of power, Buggy refused to bow down to him.

' _I'll have to take him seriously from the start'_ Buggy decided.

" **Bara Bara Festival!** "

Buggy's body separated into many different parts and started flying around the place. Nami and Zoro was shocked at this display but Luffy just smirked.

"So you ate a Devil fruit huh?"

"Indeed! I ate the Bara Bara fruit! I have the ability to split my body into different sections! I cannot be cut! Scared now, Marine?" Buggy laughed.

"Not at all, you look ridiculous, like your big nose." Luffy grinned.

Every Buggy pirate that heard that immediately went into a panic mode and backed off as far away as they could from Luffy.

"Eh? What's up with you guys?" Luffy looked at the pirates quizzically.

"You… What did you say about my nose?" Buggy's body was trembling.

"I said it was big?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"NOO! He hates people talking about his nose!" Every Buggy pirate screamed in unison.

"I'll kill you for that you confounded Marine!" Buggy's body began spinning wildly around Luffy like a miniature tornado.

Nami held on to Luffy's cloak, watching in fear as the tornado got smaller and smaller around them, closing in for the kill.

"Relax, Nami, I'll protect you. The Marines always protect the innocent." Luffy grinned, keeping his eyes on the tornado of body parts.

"Surprise stab!" A hand holding a knife flew towards Luffy from behind his head, only to be back handed away back into the tornado.

"It's not much of a surprise if you actually yell it out," Luffy grinned.

This time, another hand flew out without warning and went straight for Nami. She screamed but Luffy managed to kick that hand away as well.

"Targeting bystanders now? That's not very nice, Buggy." Luffy clucked his tongue at him.

"Shut up! I'm a pirate! I don't play nice!" Buggy yelled back.

At once, Buggy flung all of his airborne body parts at Luffy aiming to distract him while the hands that held his knives moved in for the kill.

With Observation Haki, Luffy noticed the trajectory of the knives were not headed for him. He grit his teeth in anger as he pulled Nami away from the knives and shielded her from the crashing body parts.

"Enough! Your fight is with me! Stop dragging her into it!" Luffy growled.

"Never! She stole my map and tried to trick me! I'm never forgiving her!" Buggy growled as he tried to stab her again.

"Hold your breath and close your eyes," Luffy whispered, gripping tighter on her.

Nami didn't hesitate and did as she was told.

" **Soru!** "

Luffy reappeared in front of Zoro with Nami, dodging through the knives and body parts. He deposited her beside him, Nami still slightly dazed from the sudden acceleration.

"Protect her," Luffy turned back to face the increasingly frustrated Buggy.

"Of course, Captain." Zoro grinned, gripping his swords.

"I won't forgive you for hurting the innocent, turn yourself in or I'll make you." Luffy glared hard at Buggy.

"Try me," Buggy floated a few feet away from Luffy.

" **Shigan Rankyaku!** "

Luffy punched his finger forward and sent a bullet of compressed air at Buggy without warning, piercing through one of his hands.

"ARRGGHH! YOU BASTARD!" Buggy screamed, clutching his hand.

"Last warning," Luffy glared, the shadow of his hat covering his eyes.

"Never! **Bara Bara Party!** "

Every single body part began flinging itself towards Luffy. Luffy held his hat with one hand and appeared in front of Buggy's floating head.

Before Buggy could even blink, a fist materialised in between his eyes, sending his head crashing back into his tent. The other body parts immediately slumped on to the floor as Buggy lost consciousness.

All the other pirates cowered in fear at the Marine Captain, flinching as he pointed a finger at them. "I want you guys to bag all the treasure you currently have and bring them here. Once you're done, I want all of you off the island within ten seconds, anyone still here by then will be arrested or beaten up. Probably both." All of them scurried off to obey.

Luffy grinned at the retreating pirates before turning to Zoro, his blades were already sheathed and his bandana tied to his arm. "Zoro! Help me tie Buggy up! We'll leave him for the transportation guys."

Luffy pulled out his den den mushi, dialling the number for HQ as Zoro found some rope and proceeded to gather up the body parts.

"Headquarters, Captain Monkey D. Luffy reporting in from Orange town."

"Receiving loud and clear, Captain. What's the situation there?"

"Pirate captain Buggy the Clown was found terrorizing the town but I already dealt with him, send in a transport team for pickup, over."

"Aye, sir. Thanks for the good work. HQ out."

Luffy pocketed the den den mushi just as the pirates returned with bags of gold before turning on their heels and ran back to their ship, carrying any passed out crew members with them.

Luffy grinned at Nami, who was staring at the bags of gold uneasily. "Hey, I'll give you those if you agree to become my navigator!"

"What?" Nami stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm gathering my own Marine crew to take on the New World criminals and we're sorely missing in the navigation department. We can use someone like you." Luffy smiled sheepishly.

Nami held her head down, "I… I'm flattered but… I can't… I still have some unfinished business I need to deal with at home…"

Luffy frowned, noticing her depression, "does it have something to do with how you're clamouring so much after money?"

Nami hesitated, but nodded in the end.

Luffy just sighed before tossing two bags of gold to her, leaving one last bag behind.

"Take these."

Nami looked at Luffy in shock, "are you sure? I… You don't have to."

"It's fine, just take it as an apology for getting you involved. I can already claim the fifteen million bounty from Buggy so I'm not in need of those." Luffy nodded towards the bags.

"What about that one?" Nami pointed at the last bag.

Luffy shrugged, "the town needs to be repaired, this will act as their funds for it, I guess."

Nami nodded understandingly, still staring at the two bags.

Zoro reappeared out of the tent with a satisfied smirk, "all done Captain, I wrote a note to tell the guys not to untie the body parts too."

Luffy peeked in the tent to see Buggy's head tied to the centre pole of the tent with his bundle of body parts below.

"Shishishishi, that should keep him there until the boys come, we should head out soon, I don't want to have to answer the locals when they find out half their town got destroyed by these pirates." Luffy laughed.

"Wait," Nami made a grab for Luffy, stopping him in his tracks.

"You see… These two bags are too heavy for me to carry by myself, so if you two gentlemen can help me carry them, I wouldn't mind following you guys for a while." Nami smiled sweetly.

"Tch, damn witch is only in it for the gold aren't you?" Zoro remarked, turning away to walk back to their boats.

Luffy grinned at her, "where's your hometown?"

"Conomi islands," She grinned back.

"Well, perfect, that's one of our stops too. We can escort you there! Maybe help you finish your business too so you can join us!" Luffy laughed.

Nami paled a little at this but kept her smile, "It's a deal then."

Luffy shook Nami's hands energetically, welcoming his temporary Navigator.


	5. Chapter 5: Liar, liar your plans on fire

_A/N: This is to answer some of the questions asked in the reviews:_

 _I will definitely give Luffy a devil fruit eventually, in fact, I already planned out how and which one he would get but this would be quite late into the story, so don't expect it anytime soon. I can tell you it won't be an original one but one that currently exists, so sorry to all those who wanted to see a new fruit. How he's going to get it though, you'll have to find out. :P_

 _Another thing that I honestly have been trying to avoid dealing with is the pairings. Should I, or should I not? I haven't decided yet, so you guys can suggest to me if I should. Another thing about it is that I would only do Luffy X female pairings since I prefer the story to revolve around him more rather than anyone else. Be forewarned that if I do decide to do a pairing/harem, I'm going to kick this story into the M section. *hint* *hint* Do leave a comment about what you guys think. :D_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Zoro stifled a yawn as he was appointed the rudder-man again. Both Nami and Luffy were sitting at the prow of the boat beside each other as Nami drilled in whatever she knew on navigation into him. He grinned as Luffy tried his hardest to learn everything that Nami was teaching him to avoid another beating from her. She didn't really take kindly to Luffy's antics, unfortunately.

Zoro smirked as he recalled how she raged over the fact that Luffy didn't have a proper ship and crew despite being a Marine Captain. She got even more angry when he had not allowed her to continue using the larger boat she 'acquired' from the Buggy pirates as it had their Jolly Roger on the sails and thus had to move the treasures she stole from them to their smaller boat. Now the already cramped boat became even more cramped as their bags of treasures had to be deposited in the middle of the boat, leaving barely enough room for three. It was a wonder the boat was still afloat.

Zoro glanced at the last barrel of rations worriedly. Since they were in a hurry to leave before the locals came, they hadn't had the time to gather extra rations and had to make do with what was already on the pirate's boat at that time to restock, which was a rather pitiful amount even without considering how much Luffy eats.

Once Luffy had revealed his rather pathetic navigation skills, Nami had brought upon herself to drill into him what she knew seeing as how it was partly his job as the Captain after all. That turned into an entertaining impromptu skit for Zoro as he watched his Captain smacked repeatedly on the head for every glaring blunder he made and Nami waving her hands in the air in exasperation at his cluelessness.

"Really! What did they even teach you in your time in the Marines?!" Nami yelled, finally giving up on actually making him a proficient navigator.

"Umm... How to fight?" Luffy tried, his hand rubbing his head to ease the pain of multiple smacks Nami had inflicted upon him.

"Is there nothing else?!" Nami growled, clearly frustrated by how strong he is in a fight but apparently clueless in almost everything else.

"Er… Well… Everything else that's theoretical I had to teach myself since no one would teach me that… All of my trainers said I could rely on my crew for that and for me to only focus on fighting…" Luffy smiled sheepishly.

"So you actually learned the basics of navigation by yourself? I'm rather surprised…" Zoro commented, clearly not expecting him to be the bookish type.

"It was more of a passing hobby, really. They just had maps and charts lying around and sometimes I would watch the Marine navigators work from time to time…" Luffy confessed.

"How long have you been a Marine?" Nami asked, putting away her maps and charts.

"About four years now," Luffy beamed proudly.

"You got this strong in just four years?!" Zoro spluttered. He himself had trained his whole life to reach the level he is right now and the Marines managed to churn out this monster within four years?

"I was trained by the best!" Luffy grinned proudly, remembering his teachers.

"That still does not explain how you stopped a FREAKING CANNONBALL with your BARE HANDS!" Nami yelled at him.

"Oh that? That's normal, I had to throw cannonballs with my Gra—Er… My teacher with our hands. He was way better at it then I am." Luffy waved nonchalantly.

"YOUR TRAINER MADE YOU PRACTICE THROWING CANNONBALLS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS?!" Both of them yelled at him.

"It was more of a sport actually… We just competed who could throw faster and further…" Luffy confessed, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Who is the guy?" Nami asked, eyes wide.

"Er… I'm not supposed to tell…" Luffy turned his head and started whistling, sweat dripping down his face.

* * *

 _Flashba_ _ck_

" _Luffy, remember this well." Garp grabbed Luffy by his shoulders, forcing him to face him. It was the day that he was supposed to set off after three years of training, a few hours away from Foosha village. Both of them were in Garp's quarters where they had shared the room on the voyage._

" _I have many enemies out there Luffy, and even though I don't doubt your strength to defend yourself, I want you to be safe. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT tell anyone you meet that I am your Grandfather, nor are you Dragon's son. Do you understand me?"_

 _Luffy saw the seriousness in his grandfather's eyes, the usual jovialness and cheerfulness gone. Luffy could only nod dumbly._

" _If my enemies find out you're my grandson, they will try to hurt me by hurting you. So whatever happens, don't tell anyone outside of the Marines. I know you're getting your own crew but don't tell them either unless necessary. Understood?"_

" _Yes, Grandpa." Luffy nodded again._

" _Good," Garp's face returned back to his usual cheerfulness. "Now come on! Don't show such a scary face, you lousy brat! Your journey begins today! It's time to see what my GRANDSON can do!"_

 _Garp shouted proudly, contradicting his earlier statements._

* * *

"It must be someone famous right?" Zoro smirked, noticing Luffy's hesitation and his increasing nervousness.

"Errr… I don't know…" Luffy sweated more profusely and whistled louder.

Nami was about to ask again when Zoro caught her eye and shook his head slowly.

"It's not something we need to know after all, besides, everyone has their secrets." Zoro grinned. Luffy immediately let out the breath he was holding and relaxed immediately. The two men did not notice Nami stroking her left shoulder carefully as Zoro said that.

"Anyway, we have a bigger problem right now," Zoro tapped on the barrel beside him with the hilt of his sword. "We're critically low on supplies and if we don't find somewhere to stop soon, we're gonna have a big problem."

"That's not a problem," Nami smiled. "There's a place called Syrup village about two hours sail away that we can resupply at. We should also see if we can get a better ship there as well."

All three were in agreement for the stop.

* * *

The three landed their small boat at one of the beaches of the island with Zoro grounding their boat on the beach. The beach was enclosed by two small cliffs with a path cut in between them. Nami was scrutinizing the map she held in her hand and pointed to the path in between the two cliffs, "that path should lead us directly to the village. I'm pretty sure there's-"

"Who dares intrude on my island?!" A loud booming voice echoed from the forests on the cliffs.

All three of them turned towards the source of the voice to see no one there.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Nami shouted towards the forest.

"I am the great pirate, Captain Usopp! I have claimed this island as my own, so do not take another step into this island! I have eight million men at my disposal! Leave now at once!" The voice boomed again.

"Captain Usopp? Eight million men?!" Luffy's eyes popped out. He reached for his den den mushi, "I need to report this to HQ, the situation here is more serious than I thought!"

"Idiot!" Nami smacked him on the head. "Of course he's lying!"

"Ahhh! She found out!" A man, presumably Usopp, stood up from the edge of the cliff without warning. He had a greenish yellow bandana tied around black curly hair and a pair of goggles strapped over his head. A white sash was secured around his waist over his brown overalls and a light brown sling bag was slung on his left hip. His most noticeable feature was his exceptionally long and thin nose.

"Huh, so it's just an idiot huh," Zoro smirked at him.

Usopp noticeably gulped as he tried to compose himself, "Alright… I may have lied about the eight million man, but I still have a huge number of followers!"

A few flags appeared in the forest and began waving around.

"Wow! That's… Wait, there's only three guys aren't there?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Ah! He found out!" three kids stood up from the bushes with flags in their hands and immediately took to their heels.

"Hey! Don't abandon me!" The long nosed man shouted after the kids. He cursed under his breath as they didn't even bother to look back. He drew out a slingshot from his bag and turned back to the three still standing at the beach.

"Even if I don't have that many followers, I'm still the Great… Wait… You guys are Marines?" Usopp gasped.

"Took you long enough," Zoro rolled his eyes.

"So you're a pirate that took over this island huh? I guess I'll just have to arrest you," Luffy pulled up his sleeves.

"Ah, wait, wait! I lied about that! I'm not a pirate!" Usopp panicked, stretching his palms in front of him, trying to placate him.

"Oh, really? Ok then," Luffy lowered his sleeves again.

' _He's too trusting…_ ' Both Nami and Zoro sweat-dropped.

"What are you Marines doing here?" Usopp asked, scratching his head.

"We're in need of some supplies, don't suppose you know the way to the village?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, of course! This is my hometown! Tell you guys what, as an apology for just now, I'll even treat you guys to a meal! It's all on me, what do you say?" The long nosed man offered.

Before Nami and Zoro could even blink, Luffy was already jumping around in joy, "Yeah! I want meat! Lots of meat!"

* * *

The man introduced himself as Usopp of Syrup village and had them seated at a table in one of the taverns within the village.

While the other two tried to be as civil as possible, Luffy had went ahead to order the most food and proceeded to devour his food without hesitation. Usopp did not seem to mind, however.

"So what were you doing at the beach Usopp?" Luffy asked between chomping down on his food.

"It's nothing, really..." Usopp scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed.

"There have been instances of pirates roaming around these parts so I... sort of... lie to any newcomers that a pirate has already taken over the island to scare them off..." Usopp smiled sheepishly.

"Well, you better work on that lying of yours," Zoro smirked at him before sipping his sake.

"Ah... Well, I've honestly never been that great of a liar myself..." Usopp chuckled. "I'm not really strong and neither is anyone else on this island. The only thing I'm actually good at is shooting at things with my slingshot. So I just saw lying as the way to protect my village from pirates."

"Heh... That's rather noble of you, I misjudged you," Nami remarked sincerely.

"Oh, it's fine, the only thing I can actually boast proudly of is my sharpshooting skills." Usopp sighed.

"Awren't ywou Ywaswopp's kid?" Luffy muttered offhandedly while his mouth was still full, spewing food on the table.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Nami yelled at him, smacking him on the head again.

"Wait… You know my dad?" Usopp gasped.

"Oh yeah, he's part of Shanks crew right? They came to my village a few years ago. He's a really funny guy!" Luffy finally swallowed his food.

"So he's a really great pirate then?" Usopp had a hopeful look in his eyes, gripping the table firmly.

"For sure! He was the best sharpshooter I ever saw! Even better than most of the sharpshooters I've seen in the Marines!" Luffy grinned.

"So it's true… My dad really is a great pirate…" Usopp was smiling uncontrollably. "I've always wanted to be a great pirate like my dad! One day, I'll set out to sea too and follow in his footsteps! Ah…" Usopp fell silent as soon as he remembered who the three people around him were.

"Ah, hahaha, I was just joking, I would never be—"

"SO IS THAT YOUR DREAM?" Luffy's eyes were sparkling as he held on to Usopp's shoulders.

"I… uh…" Usopp didn't even know what to make of his reaction.

"To become a great pirate like your dad? That's so cool!" Luffy beamed and the rest could swore they saw sparkles around him.

"Ahaha, to be honest, my dream is really to become a great warrior of the sea. The pirate thing is just something I took up after my dad," Usopp confessed, embarrassed.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy was shining even brighter now.

Nami face palmed at the sight while Zoro just continued to drown in his sake.

"By the way, Usopp, don't suppose you know if there's a place around here that we can get our hands on a ship, do you?" Nami asked after Luffy finally calmed down.

"Oh, well… There is a ship in the village but it belongs to the owner of the mansion…" Usopp scratched his chin.

"You mean the big house on top of the hill?" Nami leaned forward, propping her head on her hand.

"Yep, it's just outside the village and owned by a young lady. Her parents passed away some time ago and left the mansion to her. Unfortunately, she has a rather weak body and has to stay in bed most of the time." Usopp nodded sagely.

"Oh, maybe we can ask her for it then!" Luffy chuckled, already getting up.

Usopp seemed a bit uneasy at this declaration but held his tongue as the whole group left the tavern together and headed towards the mansion.

* * *

When they were about halfway up, Usopp rushed in front of them suddenly.

"Wait guys, I just remembered something! The lady isn't at home today!"

"Eehhhh..." Luffy groaned. "Ah well, that can't be helped, we'll just take a look at the ship then!"

"No wait!" Usopp stopped them again. "She… er… She left on the ship to take a ride! Yeah, that's right! So you might as well come back tomorrow!"

Both Nami and Zoro stared at Usopp incredulously, not understanding why he would lie to stop them from going to the mansion now.

"Awww… That's too bad then, I guess we'll stay at the village today guys," Luffy grabbed both Nami's and Zoro's hands, pulling them along with him back to the village.

"But Luffy!" Nami began.

"Wait, Captain! He's…" Zoro protested.

Luffy turned to both of them and gave them a look that told them he knew, instantly shutting down all protests before turning back again. Usopp had watched them leave before turning back and sprinting towards the mansion.

"So why do you think he lied to us?" Nami peeked out from the tree nearby, watching Usopp running towards the mansion.

"Something fishy's going on, what do we do, Captain?" Zoro looked at Luffy, sitting among the branches of the tree.

"I say we go ahead to the mansion and see what we can find," Luffy hopped down from the tree, his eyes colder than normal. "I have a feeling there's more to this lady's mansion than he let up."

* * *

"Well, the whole place is walled up, how do we get in?" Nami asked, staring at the imposing steel gate that barred the way into the mansion.

The three were standing in front of the mansion, no one else was in sight.

"We knock of course," Luffy deadpanned, as though it was the most obvious thing to do, reaching out to a knocker by the side of the gate.

Nami grabbed on to Luffy's wrist before he could reach it. "Wait, Luffy! What if there's something going on inside the mansion, like pirates taking over it? I don't think we should just go in like this!"

"We'll just cut them up," Zoro grinned, his right hand already on his swords.

"Relax Nami, we can handle anything that comes," Luffy smiled reassuringly.

Nami just sighed at the two before letting go of his hand, allowing him to knock loudly on the gate, the metallic sound echoed loudly through the mansion grounds.

They only had to wait for a few moments before the door of the main building was flung open. A tall, thin man wearing a butler uniform with round framed glasses approached the gate with light steps, constantly adjusting his glasses with his palm.

"I am Klahadore, the caretaker for this mansion. May I ask what you Marines want with us?" He asked coolly, his eyes scrutinizing over the three visitors.

"I am Captain Monkey D. Luffy, I want to have a talk with this mansion's owner. Lead us to her." Luffy seemed to be glaring at the caretaker.

"Denied, my lady is resting right now, she has no time for people like you. Please leave this place at once." Klahadore adjusted his glasses again, making no move to open the gate.

"I am not asking, Mr Caretaker, I have the authority to demand a meeting with your mistress right now and I am demanding you lead us to her." Luffy's voice quivered, not from fear but barely controlled anger.

Both Nami and Zoro looked at each other and wondered why their Captain was getting so worked up over the Caretaker's refusal to let them meet his mistress.

"Do not lie to me Marine, you're a mere Captain, you shouldn't hold such authority." Klahadore glared back at Luffy, his hands held behind his back.

Luffy pulled out the paper his Grandfather had given him, opening it up for the Caretaker to see. "I am under orders to patrol around this area with the authority to deal with any criminal activity as I see fit within this region. I am currently suspecting that the inhabitants of this mansion are involved in criminal activities and I **will** take appropriate action unless you lead me to your mistress."

Luffy's glare gave Klahadore no room for protests and the Caretaker could only grit his teeth as he unlocked the gate for the three to enter. He had a scowl on his face as he lead them pass the main doorway and down a short corridor to his lady's room. The sounds of talking and laughter could be heard from inside.

Klahadore's scowl became deeper as he opened the door without knocking to confront the intruder that was talking to his mistress from outside the window.

"What's going on here?" He demanded as he swung open the door.

Usopp froze as though he was a deer caught in the headlights while a young girl who was sitting on the bed turned to face the caretaker.

"Ah… Klahadore, erm… Usopp is just telling me stories about his adventures!" the lady tried to placate the caretaker.

"More like lies, no doubt. Mistress Kaya, I already told you it's not good for you to associate yourself with such uncouth people. Especially a son of a pirate scum like this man here." Klahadore scoffed.

Usopp gritted his teeth but held his tongue, noticing the three people behind him.

"Klahadore, who are these people?" Kaya pointed at the three behind him, finally noticing them.

Klahadore adjusted his spectacles again with his palm, stepping aside to allow them into the room, "they're marines on patrol, they said they wanted to have a word with you."

"Oh, what can I help you with?" Kaya lifted an eyebrow.

"Actually," Luffy stepped towards her bed, glancing at Usopp who now hung his head low, unable to meet his eye. "We're friends of Usopp here. He told us that you had a ship and we're looking to ask if we could somehow obtain it from you?"

"Friends of Usopp?" Kaya looked incredulously at Luffy, switching to look at Usopp.

"Er… Well… He knows my father…" Usopp scratched his head, unsure of what Luffy wanted.

"Yep, and he's father is the crew member of a famous Yonko! He's definitely not a pirate scum!" Luffy grinned as Usopp glanced wide-eyed at Luffy.

"Even so, pirates are still pirates. That still doesn't change the fact that he's still a pirate's bastard son," Klahadore remarked coldly, not even acknowledging Usopp.

"Klahadore! That's enough! Apologize to Usopp!" Kaya glared at her caretaker, only to receive a sigh from him.

"Mistress Kaya, scum like him is not worth apologizing for, especially when all pirates care about are pillaging and ruining lives. After your parents passed away, I promised to them that I would do my best to keep you safe. This pirate here could be plotting to get rid of you in order to get your riches! I define—"

"Klahadore! That's enough out of you!" Kaya shouted suddenly, cutting him off.

Usopp was barely restraining his anger as he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Before the situation could escalate further, Luffy coughed to break the tension.

"I'm sorry Miss Kaya, we'll come back some other time if that's convenient for you, we have overstayed our welcome. Usopp, come with us, I have more things to tell you about your father."

Usopp relaxed his fist before sparing one last glare at Klahadore, stomping away from the mansion grounds.

"We'll take our leave," Nami bowed to Kaya before leaving the room with the two guys.

The trio reunited with Usopp outside of the mansion grounds and walked in silence away from the mansion. They stopped under the tree that they were hiding in before when Usopp tried to discourage them from going to the mansion.

"I'm sorry about lying to you guys… " Usopp bowed his head to them in an apology.

"It's alright, no harm done," Zoro waved his hand.

"But why would you lie about that?" Nami remarked, tilting her head.

"I was afraid you might cause harm to her… She's sick enough as it is and her damn Caretaker has done nothing but suffocate her in that mansion of hers…" Usopp gritted his teeth in frustration.

"She wants to get out of the house but that Caretaker of hers is always in the way, I'm not even sure if he actually has her best interests at heart anymore. And even though he's feeding her medicine, her health doesn't seem to get any better. If I had to guess, he might even be the one poisoning her."

Luffy stiffened as he heard the last part.

"Usopp, do you care about her? The lady of the mansion?" Luffy glanced at Usopp, who stared back at him, unsure of the question.

"Er… Sure, she's a friend. Why?"

"I have no proof right now, but she might be in danger." Luffy clenched his fist.

Usopp and Nami gasped while Zoro lifted an eyebrow, "how can you be sure, Captain?"

"That caretaker looked like one of the pirates that was notorious around the time I joined the marines..." Luffy scratched his head. "Give me a moment," Luffy pulled out his den den mushi from his cloak and dialed the number for HQ.

"Captain Monkey D. Luffy reporting. Headquarters, give me whatever information you have on a certain Captain Kuro."

"Understood, a moment, Captain" The ruffling of papers could be heard over the line. "Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, also known as 'Kuro of a Hundred Plans', he was apprehended and executed three years ago with a bounty of sixteen million berries. His crew still remains at large even after his execution."

"I want a description of how he looks like."

"Er… His more notable features would be his round glasses and sleek black hair. He apparently has a habit of adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand as well."

"Sounds like Klahadore to me," Luffy nodded, looking at the three of them behind him, who returned his gaze with shock. "Headquarters, I'm reporting that Captain Kuro is still alive and at large at Syrup village. We know not of his plans at this time but it is highly likely he is plotting something. Send a team over as soon as possible."

"Roger that, Captain. A team will be there tomorrow morning. Oh… Er… Captain… I have a report from the team that went to retrieve Buggy."

"What is it?"

"They… Er… Let him escape…"

Luffy gripped the tree beside him and tore out a chunk of it with his hands, the air cackled around him as his haki rolled out in waves.

"How?" His voice was deceptively calm.

"I… Er… They… They… Did not follow the instructions on the note… It seems… They thought he was dead… with all those severed body parts… Er… HQ still agreed on the… Half bounty though…" It was obvious the Marine on the other end could already feel his fury.

"…"

"Captain Luffy?"

"Is this the same team that went after Alvida?"

"Aye… Sir…"

"Tell them that they are to report back to Marineford to Vice Admiral Garp with details on their failure."

"Yes, sir…"

"And help me relay a message to Vice Admiral Garp, tell him I am sending him a couple of Marines that needs some 'disciplining'. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, sir."

"Good, is there anything else?"

"Not at all sir…"

"Captain Luffy out."

Luffy deposited the den den mushi back within his cloak before facing the three wide eyed people.

"What?" Luffy asked, grinning, as though the anger he exuded before was merely a mirage.

"Were you always like this?" Zoro asked, keeping his eyes fixed on him.

"Maybe? I don't know, shishishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"Well… Putting that aside… We have another problem on our hands…" Nami stated, crossing her arms.

"Aye… That damn Klahadore… So he's a pirate himself all the while and yet still insults my father! That hypocrite will get what's coming for him! I will take him on myself!" Usopp clenched his fists.

"Usopp, wait, we can't act rashly now, we still don't know what he's planning. He's not called 'Kuro of a hundred plans' for nothing. If we act without knowing his goals, we might fall for his traps." Nami tried to calm him down.

"Indeed, we need to know what he's planning first… We should wait for backup to arrive too if we're planning on apprehending him, or else he might just use the mistress as a hostage." Zoro nodded.

"The problem remains in how do we expose his plans?" Usopp scratched his head.

"How about we follow him?" Luffy pointed at a departing Kuro. He didn't seem to spot the four under the tree as he walked towards the shoreline opposite them.

The four of them crept after Kuro as he came to a beach that was identical to the northern one that the Straw Hats had landed their boat at. A weird man that wore heart-shaped sunglasses with a blue trench coat topped with a large blue hat appeared from behind some rocks, walking towards the Caretaker.

The four of them lay prone on the cliff overlooking the two on the beach.

"Is everything prepared, Jango?" Kuro questioned the man, his demeanor entirely different from his time in the mansion.

"Of course Captain Kuro, everything is in place and ready for your signal. The man have been waiting for you all this time." Jango replied, smirking.

"Good, I don't want to waste any more time. This has to be done tomorrow."

"Of course, of course. But who would have thought that Captain Kuro would fake his own death and worm himself into a rich family's life all just to lay claim on their riches." Jango chuckled.

"Enough of that Jango, I need you to know that there are a group of Marines in the town right now. I want the crew to attack the village to distract them while you and I head into the mansion and kill the girl. I will need you to hypnotize her to write a will that says she will give all of her fortunes to me. Understand?"

"Uhyahyahya! You are such an evil man Captain Kuro! You've been with that girl for the past three years! Don't you have any feelings for the poor girl?"

Kuro smirked as he adjusted his glasses with his palm, "Not at all, the three years I spent with her were rather stifling to be honest. That's why I poisoned her food to make sure she stays in bed as much as possible."

' _That bastard! I knew it!_ ' Usopp was gritted his teeth.

"Alright then, we'll attack from the northern shore tomorrow at dawn, be ready, Jango."

With that, both men parted ways and Kuro walked back to the mansion. The four of them remained unmoving as he moved past them, only when he was out of sight did they let out the breath they were holding.

"I need to warn the villagers! I have to evacuate them out of here! I need to get Kaya out of the mansion too! I—"

"Calm down Usopp! We have this under control!" Nami smacked him on the head. "We know his plans now so all we have to do is come up with our own plan to counter his! Jeez, there's no need to overreact!"

"Alright, let's see what we know now," Zoro sat down on the ground. "Kuro's crew will be coming from the northern shore to attack the village in an attempt to distract us. While everyone is distracted in the attack, he and that weird Jango guy will head to the mansion to get rid of the mistress. Am I right so far?"

Everyone nodded before Nami gasped suddenly, "AHHH! Our boat is there too! All the treasures are there!"

All the guys sweat dropped.

"Even now all you care about is money?" Zoro shook his head.

"Shut up! All of those are worth more than ten million berries! I can't let those damn pirates have them!" Without waiting for the others, she sprinted off back to the boat to hide her treasures.

"Nami wait! We can- aaaannd she's gone…" Zoro deadpanned.

"No matter, let's form a plan first." Luffy sat down beside Zoro. "Usopp, I need you to go and warn the villagers later and tell them to escape to this shore in the morning before dawn. Tell them to stay in their homes at night in case it rouses Kuro's suspicion. I'll get the Marine backup to land at this side of the shore and move towards the village to defend it, I want you, Zoro and Nami to be there to make sure all the villagers escape safely before the pirates reach there."

"No! I need to make sure Kaya is safe!" Usopp immediately protested.

Luffy nodded without complaining, "Alright, just Zoro and Nami then. Usopp will follow me to the mansion to stop the assassination. If possible, I want you to get Kaya and any other people out of the mansion as soon as we reach there. I will deal with Kuro myself. Are we agreed on this?"

Both Usopp and Zoro nodded.

"I never thought that you would be much of a strategist," Zoro grinned.

"Well, we did have war simulations in Marine officer training." Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

"If there's no objections, both of you move out, I'll be staying here to guide the Marine reinforcements. Zoro, go get Nami and tell her the plan. Once you're all done, stay in the village and stay low. Don't tip Kuro off that we know of his plans."

"Aye Captain, let's go long nose!"

"Don't call me long nose!"

Both Zoro and Usopp ran towards the village. Luffy fished out his den den mushi and placed it in front of him, awaiting the call of his reinforcements.

* * *

After a few hours of waiting, the den den mushi rang and Luffy moved to pick it up.

"This is Captain Hina reporting, responding to a call for reinforcements at Syrup village?"

Luffy grinned as he heard the name.

"Hina! So you're coming eh?"

"Oh, is that Luffy? Hina should've known this was your number! Did you request for reinforcements?"

"Aye, I have Pirate Captain Kuro hiding in the village. I need men to ensure the safety of the villagers while I go beat him up."

"Hina understands, reinforcements will arrive early tomorrow."

"Understood, I'll need your men in place before dawn, his crew will be attacking the village then, I need all of the villagers safely evacuated."

"They will be safe, Hina will make sure of that."

"And I need you to land your ship on the south beach, that will be the evacuation point."

Luffy could almost see Hina grinning wickedly.

"Hina sees you remembered your training with Vice Admiral Garp well, he will be proud."

"Shishishishi, this much is needed if I want to be an Admiral!"

"Understood, Hina will make sure it all goes smoothly, Hina out."

Luffy disconnected the line, now content that everything would work out smoothly. He extended his Observation Haki to encompass the island and listened to what was happening.

Nami was busy stowing away their boat by a pile of rocks beside the beach in an attempt to hide her treasures. Zoro was trying his hardest to calm an angry mob of villagers that were chasing Usopp and calling him a liar while said person hid behind Zoro. Kuro himself was inside the mansion, slipping into his role rather easily, doing his best to 'care' for his mistress.

Luffy grinned, "When morning comes Kuro, I'll make sure no plan of yours can get you out of the pain I'm going to give you for the mess you made for this village."


	6. Chapter 6: The Cat's Out

_A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews guys! I really appreciate it!_

 _Still unconfirmed on the Romance section though, do leave a comment to tell me what you guys think!_

 _Enjoy! :D_

* * *

Luffy watched from the shoreline as boats were lowered from the anchored battleship across the water. He smiled as he saw Hina leading the first wave of Marines.

"Hina! Long time no see!" Luffy waved enthusiastically at the female Marine Captain.

She wore a purple suit over a white blouse which were complemented with a pair of dark purple gloves. The first two buttons of her blouse were left unbuttoned, just barely revealing the valley between her cleavage. A Marine coat bearing the word 'Justice' in kanji draped loosely on her shoulders and a pair of sunglasses rested idly on her head amongst her pinkish blonde hair.

"Luffy!" She grinned, pulling him into a bear hug. "It's been too long!"

"Shishishi, indeed it has, how have you been?" Luffy chuckled.

She chuckled, finally letting go of Luffy, "It's been fine, though the higher ups have been a rather pain in my ass for quite some time. But enough of that! Hina's interested in your journey! How is your crew coming along?"

"Oh, I'm fine, I managed to get a swordsman and a navigator so far, though the navigator hasn't confirmed her membership yet. She claims she still has unfinished business."

"Such a shame," Hina nodded sagely. "It would be nice if Smoker was here too, I remember he didn't like you that much when you first joined up."

She began to pop a cigarette into her mouth before noticing Luffy's stare.

"Ah, Hina sorry! I forgot you never liked smoking," she put away her cigarette immediately, earning a grin from Luffy.

"Anyway, down to business, how soon can your men get ready?" Luffy peeked at the marines who were still organizing themselves on the beach.

Hina turned and looked at them, gears grinding in her head. "I would guess in fifteen minutes or so."

Luffy shook his head, "too slow, I need them in the village in defensive positions and another group to escort the villagers out. They need to be ready by ten."

Hina grinned, "Ten minutes it shall be then." She crossed her arms and turned to the marines.

"MEN! I WANT EVERYONE TO BE READY IN TEN! HOP TO IT!"

"YES HINA-SAMA!" Every marine immediately doubled their speed.

"Now, Luffy, what is with this Captain Kuro you mentioned? Wasn't he executed three years ago?" Hina raised an eyebrow.

Luffy shook his head, "Apparently not, I don't know how he did it, but he's here right now with his old crew. He plans to assassinate the mansion's mistress to claim her fortune while his crew attacks the village."

Hina nodded, "I'll have a team set up a defensive perimeter around the town while another will act as escort. Another smaller team will head to the mansion. Is that agreeable?"

"I'll be heading to the mansion myself," Luffy nodded. "I'll be taking down Kuro if you don't mind."

"By all means, he's yours," Hina chuckled. "I'll take care of the pirates attacking the village, we'll rendezvous at the village center once you're done with him."

"Alright, let's move out then," Luffy grinned.

* * *

Zoro watched Usopp and Nami directing all the villagers to the center of the village. He sighed as he remembered the events of last night. When Usopp tried to convince them that pirates were attacking the village, all of them had called him a liar and chased him around the village with weapons in hand. Zoro had to step in as a Marine and affirm the villagers that what Usopp had said was true before they believed them.

The dark sky began to brighten as the villagers gathered awaiting their marine escort. Nami rejoined Zoro leaning against one of the village huts.

"We got everyone ready to go," Nami sighed.

"Heh, so you can care about things other than money," Zoro smirked.

Nami shrugged, "I'm unofficially a marine now, so I guess I'll just follow the Captain's orders as long as I'm here. But make no mistake, the treasures are still mine!" Nami ginned, wagging a finger at him.

Zoro just huffed but said nothing.

They didn't have to wait long before a company of marines showed up and proceeded to escort the villages to the southern beach. Another company led by Hina and Luffy entered the village as soon as the villagers moved out.

"I want everyone in their positions! Encircle the village and prepare to ambush the pirates when they enter the village! Squad leaders take over your squads!" Hina commanded.

"YES HINA-SAMA!" The marines scurried to obey.

"Once the scouts report the pirates landing, I'll head straight to the mansion," Luffy commented.

"Understood, don't worry about this end of things, Luffy. Just go kick that guy's ass." Hina clutched his shoulder reassuringly.

Luffy approached Zoro and Nami with a grin plastered on his face, "Zoro, Nami, stay here and make sure things go smoothly, Captain Hina over there will be in charge of things here. Usopp, you'll follow me to the mansion as soon as the pirates are spotted on the beach."

"Alright."

"Aye, Captain."

"Of course!"

All three answered confidently.

* * *

By the time the scouts returned to report on pirates landing on the beach, everything was prepared to receive them.

"Luffy, go. Hina will handle things here."

"Understood, thanks again Hina!" Luffy grabbed Usopp and ran towards the mansion.

Hina approached Zoro and Nami, "You're Luffy's crew right? How well can you handle yourselves?"

"Well enough," Zoro grinned, clutching his swords.

Hina grunted without comment, "I need the two of you to be in the shadows, don't come out unless things don't go according to plan, you two will be our fail safe."

"Leave it to us," Nami pounded her chest confidently.

Zoro and Nami hid behind one of the village buildings, Zoro had his hand gripping firmly on his sheathed swords and Nami held on to her staff confidently. Every marine had their weapons ready as they awaited their orders. Only Hina remained in the center of the village alone.

The Black Cat Pirates charged into the village not suspecting a thing, only to be greeted by a lone Marine Captain standing with her arms crossed, casually puffing on a cigarette that she could not in Luffy's presence.

"I am Captain Hina of the Marines, members of the Black Cat Pirates, lay down your weapons quietly or face the consequences."

The pirates began to whisper amongst themselves.

"This must be the marine the captain was talking about…"

"She's only one person, against us she doesn't stand a chance!"

"She looks pretty though…"

"Why is the village so empty?"

"Last warning, pirates!" Hina shouted, tapping her foot impatiently.

"We need to carry out captain Kuro's plans, or we'll be slaughtered!" a pirate yelled, spurning all the pirates to face the Marine Captain, weapons flashing wickedly.

"Hina disappointed," Hina sighed, raising her hand as the signal.

Marines burst forth from the shadows of the village, instantly surrounding the confused pirates. Nami and Zoro stood nearby, close enough to join the fight if it happens, but still out of sight.

The pirates panicked seeing the number of marines outnumbering them and their rifles pointed directly at them.

"Lay down your weapons, pirates!" Hina yelled again.

The panicking pirates began to comply but one of them took out a small silver whistle from his pocket.

"The captain told us to use this in case something like this happened," he grinned wickedly at the marines before blowing into it. A piercing screech echoed through the village and everyone had to cover their eyes to protect their eardrums.

"Enough! Capture these pirates!" Hina commanded.

Sudden screams penetrated the air as the squad of marines closest to the entrance of the village began to fall. In the middle of the prone marines stood two men dressed like cats. One of them had a really huge belly that his pants barely held thanks to the sash tied to his waist. A blanket looking cape draped over his shoulders and in his hands were two identical gloves that ended in wicked cat-like claws.

The other man was the exact opposite being incredibly skinny and wore a navy blue shirt with a bow tie. In his hands were also gloves with cat claws. Both of their gloves were soaked in blood.

Hina furrowed her brows at this, sensing the new threat.

"It's the Nyaban brothers!" One of the pirates cheered.

"Go get them, Sham, Buchi!"

"Stupid marines, it's not good to go against Captain Kuro's plans." The skinny Sham snickered.

"Don't move marines! Or we'll kill these guys!" The blubbery Buchi held on to one of the unconscious marines.

Hina cursed under her breath, calling all the marines to drop their rifles and back away.

A shadow dashed towards Buchi from behind, slashing towards Buchi. He immediately dropped the marine and leapt back from the slash, spotting his new enemy.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Sham exclaimed. "Why are you here?!"

"I'm a Marine now, and I would prefer if you don't go against **my** Captain's plans," He grinned, swinging his sword in an arc lazily.

"Oh no! We definitely don't stand a chance against someone like him! We're so screwed!" Sham began waving his arms around in a panic.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at his outburst, but held on to his sword firmly.

"Sham! We need to follow the captain's plans! Or else he'll slaughter us!" One of the pirates shouted helpfully.

"Grr… I guess I have no choice… Here I come!" Sham rushed at Zoro while swinging his arms wildly with his eyes closed.

"Is this guy for real?" Zoro stared at the charging Sham in disbelief. He prepared to receive the charge when Sham suddenly sidestepped to his right and lashed out towards him, Zoro barely deflecting the blow in time. Before he could recover, Sham had slashed his other hand from his left and Zoro was forced to be on the defensive, catching Sham's claws with his blade.

"Lowering your guard could be fatal, Roronoa Zoro," Sham smirked, leaping back from him.

"Zoro! Your swords!" Nami gasped.

Zoro glared hard at Sham who had taken both his swords and held it loosely with his left hand.

"Give me back my swords," Zoro demanded, his eyes ice cold.

"Sure," Sham smirked, tossing the swords in the other direction of Zoro.

Zoro furrowed his brows, "You'll pay for that…"

"Make me," Sham charged at Zoro again, slashing at him with his claws.

With only a single sword, Zoro fended of a fury of strikes by Sham, constantly being pushed back. Sham struck out with his right hand, aiming for Zoro's face, only to be deflected by his blade. His left hand immediately swiped as well, but Zoro managed to step back from it.

When Zoro tried to lunge towards Sham, he would leap backwards from the lunge and move in to swipe at him again.

' _Damn it… This is going nowhere… I need my other swords!'_ Zoro frowned, he couldn't go on the offensive with only one sword against Sham's claws.

Nami rushed towards the two swords on the ground, aiming to return them back to Zoro. Buchi appeared behind her, claws outstretched menacingly.

"It wouldn't do if you forgot there's two of us, girlie!" Buchi brought his hand down, slashing in an arc. Nami managed to roll away in time and made a grab for Zoro's swords.

"Zoro! Catch!" Nami yelled, tossing the swords at him.

Zoro grinned, catching his swords in midair and unsheathing them with grace.

"Thanks Nami," He popped his last sword into his mouth, facing Sham again.

"Tch, I'll still finish you off you damn girl!" Buchi slashed at Nami in an X shape.

"Don't forget about Hina you lousy pirate," Hina stepped in front of Nami, kicking at his wrist. Buchi's hands passed through her legs only to find themselves bound together with an iron manacle.

"What? What did you do?!" Buchi demanded, struggling against the manacles to no avail.

"I ate the Ori Ori fruit, anything that passes through my body will be locked up." She grinned. "It's perfect for capturing criminals like you."

"Damn you!" Buchi jumped into the air with his leg poised to strike her. " **CAT STOMP!** "

Hina leaped back to avoid the drop that cracked the ground. She dashed forward towards Buchi, who held his bound hands in front of him, claws outstretched to impale her. She slid on the ground as she neared him and slid in between his legs, ending up behind him.

Pushing herself up with her hands, she kicked towards Buchi's legs, passing through them and trapping his legs in iron manacles. As Buchi fell backwards from the kick, Hina rolled backwards and kicked her leg upwards, passing her leg through his body and arms before he finally landed on the ground, unable to move from his bindings.

Hina stepped on him as she puffed her cigarette, "Hina victory. You're just small time pirates compared to the ones I usually have to deal with, don't get so full of yourselves."

"Buchi! Damn you marines!" Sham cried out, watching Buchi struggle in vain against his bindings.

"You shouldn't turn your back to an opponent you damn pirate," Zoro grinned, raising his two swords in his hands to cross with the one in his mouth.

" **Oni Giri!** " Zoro slashed his three swords simultaneously, blood spurted from the cut wounds on Sham as he collapsed, bleeding.

"Argh! Damn you Marines!" Sham cried, clutching at his arm where a cut had landed.

"No way… The Nyanba brothers are defeated…" The pirates gasped.

"I'm not saying it again you filthy pirates! Lay down your weapons!" Hina yelled.

The group of Black Cat pirates glanced at one another before dropping their weapons, surrendering to the Marines.

The marines immediately moved in to capture them, tying them up with the ropes they prepared.

"Not bad, so both of you are marines now?" Hina asked, crossing her arms in front of Zoro and Nami.

"Aye, or at least, I am. Headquarters hasn't issued my rank yet." Zoro grinned, then jerked his thumb at Nami, "She's only here for the ride."

Nami stuck her tongue out at him, but said nothing.

"So I heard," Hina nodded. "Luffy has a good eye, you'd do well to stay by him. He can be a handful at times, but that's part of the fun,"

"What's your relationship with him?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, we're just friends. He was put under my care for some time during his training," Hina puffed on her cigarette, still stepping on Buchi.

"I see, but the two of you seemed like you knew each other for quite some time?" Nami asked, tilting her head.

"He has that way with people," Hina grinned. "Trust me, you should've seen the things he did back then, you just can't help but like that boy."

Nami and Zoro nodded, understanding.

"Well that's dealt with… I wonder how's Luffy doing on his end?" Nami remarked, brushing the dirt out of her skirt.

* * *

"That's her room," Usopp pointed to the half-opened window.

Luffy nodded in understanding, "go in there and get her out, I'll distract them at the front door."

Usopp nodded and crept stealthily to the window, climbing in without making a sound.

"You guys, spread out around the mansion, shout if you see anything," Luffy ordered the group of marines that accompanied them.

Luffy strolled up to the door and knocked loudly, waiting for Kuro to respond to it. The door opened but instead of Kuro, another butler with curly white hair and small lamb horns on his head answered the door.

"May I help you?" He asked, eyeing Luffy suspiciously.

"Who are you? Where is Klahadore?" Luffy demanded, worried that he might be another one of Kuro's crew.

"Klahadore had gone to the next village yesterday, he hasn't come back yet. Do you want me to take a message?" The butler raised an eyebrow.

"No need, is Miss Kaya in?"

The butler squinted his eyes at the Marine, "She is… But she's still resting, it's barely dawn after all. What do you need?"

"I need to see her, please let me in," Luffy glanced around, worried Kuro might be hiding around the house.

"Certainly not, even if you're a Marine, this is still private property, I can't just let you come in just beca—"

"KYAAAA!" A sudden screamed echoed through the house.

Luffy wasted no time in pushing the butler away and sprinted towards the direction of the scream, throwing open the door leading to Kaya's room.

Usopp was standing there with his hands up in a placating gesture as Kaya was sitting on her bed, blankets wrapped around her.

"What's going on?" The butler burst into the room right behind Luffy.

"Ah, Merry, it's nothing, Usopp just surprised me, that's all." Merry smiled reassuringly at the butler.

"Usopp? What are you doing in my lady's room?! You better not have done anything to her!" Merry yelled, shaking his fist angrily at him.

"Of course not! Anyway, Kaya, you need to trust me, we need to get you out of here right now!" Usopp pleaded.

"What's are you talking about?" Merry questioned, taking a step towards Usopp.

"He said that Klahadore is actually a pirate captain all this while and is currently plotting to take my life in order to seize my fortunes." Kaya answered for Usopp."

"Impossible! Klahadore has been a trusted Caretaker of this family for the past three years! You think we'll believe such lies from the village's liar?" Merry began advancing on Usopp, clearly intent on throwing him out.

Luffy held a hand on his shoulder, pulling Merry back. "Miss Kaya, it's all true."

"What?" Kaya looked at the Marine, shocked.

"We overheard this Klahadore talking with one of his crew members yesterday night. He plans to get you to turn over your fortune to him before killing you. His crew is currently attacking the town as we speak." Luffy looked at her with cold eyes.

"No, that's not possible… Not after all that he's done…" Kaya covered her mouth as tears threatened to spill out.

"Please believe me Kaya! He's also the reason why you started falling sick! He has been poisoning you all this while!" Usopp clenched his fists, barely containing back his anger.

"No! No! No! This can't be possible! Both of you must be lying!" Merry shouted at them. "He's been with us for so long! He was always nice to everyone! That definitely can't be true!"

"Merry…" Kaya began.

"What's going on here?" a figure wearing round framed glasses strolled into the room, adjusting it with the palm of his hand.

"Klahadore!" Merry exclaimed, smiling. "Tell us that's not true, you're not a pirate aren't you?"

"Oh, so the Marine Captain and the village's biggest liar is here too? No wonder there were so many marines outside… No matter, I'll just have to kill you two as well…" Kuro smirked. That was when they realized the claws Kuro now wears on his hands were coated with fresh blood.

"You… What did you do to them?" Luffy furrowed his brows, a shadow covering his eyes.

"Nothing much," Kuro smirked. "Just let them take a long nap in the dirt, of course."

Before anyone could react, Luffy was in front of Kuro, sending his fist into his gut, sending him flying out of the room and crashing into the wall across the corridor.

"Usopp! Grab them and get out of here! I'll handle him!" Luffy yelled, not taking his eyes off where Kuro had crashed through.

"Kaya, come on! We need to go!" Usopp grabbed Kaya's hands, pulling her towards the open window. She followed him without hesitation now.

"No… Klahadore… Why would you lie to us?" Merry had tears in his eyes.

"Merry! It doesn't matter now, we have to go!" Kaya shouted, bringing Merry out of his stupor. He ran towards the two and helped Usopp carry Kaya out through the window.

"My, my… This definitely wasn't calculated in my plans… Jango, make sure you get rid of them." Kuro nodded towards a figure at the main entrance.

"Of course captain Kuro," he turned and left towards the direction of Usopp's group.

"You're not going anywhere!" Luffy began to run towards the door when Kuro appeared in front of him, barring his way.

' _He knows Soru?_ '

Luffy hesitated before diving to his left to dodge the swipe of Kuro's cat claws.

Kuro reappeared in front of him again and slashed, only to hit air as Luffy retreated further back into the mansion.

' _No… He's using pure leg strength to move fast, there's no technique in his movements.'_

Luffy grinned.

"You're fast for a Marine…" Kuro adjusted his spectacles, a frown plastered on his face.

"And you're fast for a pirate, I'm still faster though. Shishishishi" Luffy laughed.

"Tch, I'll show you fast…" Kuro clucked his tongue at him.

" **Stealth Foot** "

Kuro disappeared. Luffy could still see him though, watching him moving around the room and slashing at everything around him. He seemed to move irregularly, as though he didn't care what he slashed at.

' _I see, he trained his legs to be fast but he himself can't see what he's attacking_ '

" **Soru!** "

Luffy jumped up straight into Kuro, grabbing him by his collar and throwing him to the ground.

Kuro sat up, coughing, "Impossible… How did you match my speed?"

"I told you Kuro, I'm faster than you." Luffy smirked.

Kuro furrowed his brows as he used his speed to get behind Luffy.

"I would like to stay and play with you, but I need to check up on my friends, so sorry."

Kuro slashed his claws at the back of the Marine Captain.

" **Tekkai!** "

The claws on his left hand shattered into pieces as soon as they struck the Marine. Kuro could only look at his shattered claws incredulously as the pieces hit the floor.

Luffy turned to grin at him.

Kuro's blood boiled with rage as he stabbed his right hand forward at the marine, only for those claws to shatter as well. Without hesitating, he spun around delivered a kick to Luffy's head who received it without flinching, arms crossed.

"Captain Kuro, under the name Captain Monkey D. Luffy, I hereby place you under arrest in the name of Justice!" Luffy grinned at him.

"No! My plan cannot fail! Not after all these years!" Kuro growled at Luffy, spinning to kick at him again.

Luffy leaned back to avoid the kick before stepping forward and deliver a crushing blow to Kuro's head, smashing him into the ground of the mansion, unconscious.

"Apparently it did, captain Kuro," Luffy grinned, before sprinting out of the mansion to find Usopp.

* * *

"When I say one, two, jango, you will fall asleep. One, two, jango!"

Kaya gazed in horror as both Usopp and Merry collapsed on to the floor, already fast asleep. They managed to run out of the mansion and head into the forest nearby before Jango caught up with them.

Jango laughed wickedly as he advanced upon the helpless girl.

"Uhyahyahya! So much for your 'fearless' bodyguards lady, now all I need you to do is to write the will for my captain while he kills that Marine. Let's not make this any harder than it has to be, alright?"

Kaya was on the ground, backing away slowly at each step Jango took towards her.

"Now, when I say one, two, jango, you will write the will. One, two, jaAARRGH!"

Jango screamed in pain as something hit him in the back of his head. He turned to look at Usopp holding on to his slingshot, loading in another piece of stone and firing at Jango, hitting him squarely between the eyes.

"ARGH! DAMN YOU, YOU LONG NOSE FREAK!" Jango toppled on to the floor on his hunches, grabbing his nose in pain where the stone had struck him.

"Kaya, run! I'll deal with this guy!" Usopp shouted, readying another stone to shoot.

"But… Usopp… I can't just leave by myself…" Kaya protested.

"Go! Before he—"

"Enough! No one's going anywhere!" Jango yelled, brandishing his chakrams.

Usopp shoots another stone at him but Jango was ready this time, cutting the stone projectile nimbly with a chakram.

"You should be asleep…" Jango commented.

"As if I'll look if you tell me to 'look at this ring'." Usopp smirked. Loading in another stone into his slingshot.

Jango frowned as he swung his chakram to block another of Usopp's shots. "Enough! I'll kill you first!"

Jango charged towards Usopp, spinning his chakrams in his hands.

"Run, Kaya!" Usopp stood to face the charging Jango.

' _If I run, he might go after Kaya instead… And I can't leave Merry in that state either… What to do, Usopp… What…_ '

Usopp dived to his right as Jango sliced his Chakram at him, easily cutting through the tree behind him.

"Tch, stay still you little brat." Jango turned to face Usopp again.

"No, you stay right where you are!" Usopp shouted, shooting another rock at him.

"Stop wasting my time, you know you can't hit me anymore!" Jango knocked away the stone only to find another stone directly behind it, smashing through his sunglasses and hitting him straight in the eye.

"AAARRGGHH! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" Jango screamed, clutching his eye.

Usopp tackled him on to the ground, pinning him down. He turned to realize Kaya still sat at the same spot as before.

"Kaya! You have to run, now!"

"I… can't Usopp… I can't feel my legs…" Kaya gasped.

' _No… Kuro must have poisoned her more than usual last night to prevent her from running!_ '

Usopp cursed under his breath.

"Get off me you bastard!" Jango sliced his Chakram at him, cutting Usopp in his shoulder. Usopp screamed as he clutched his shoulder, feeling blood pouring freely down his arm, sprawling on to the floor.

Jango kicked him in the gut repeatedly to shut him up as Usopp gasped for breath.

Satisfied after a few dozen kicks, Jango wiped his sweat off his brow. "Stay right there, you bastard. I'll deal with you once I'm done with the girl." He advanced on the girl again.

"Now come on, look at this ring. When I say… Hey! Don't close your eyes!" Jango yelled at Kaya, who had already snapped her eyes shut.

"Damnit! I can't hypnotise you when you close your eyes!" Jango cursed, he looked at the still gasping Usopp and dragged him to Kaya, placing his chakram to his neck.

"Listen lady, if you don't write the will now, I will kill this damn brat in front of you." Jango muttered in front of Kaya.

Kaya opened her eyes to see an out of breath and bleeding Usopp in front of her and gasped.

Jango took out a piece of paper and pen from his pocket and tossed it to her, "Write it now or I slice open his neck!"

"No… Kaya *cough* *cough*… Don't do it…" Usopp breathed.

Jango struck him across the head, "Shut up! Do it, you stupid girl!"

"Stop! Please! I'll write it, just let him go!" Kaya reached out to Usopp, but he was just out of her reach.

"Write the damn will you infernal brat!" Jango shouted at her impatiently, a trickle of blood slid down from Usopp's neck.

Usopp furrowed his brows and bit down hard on the hand that was holding him, shocking Jango into letting go of his chakram.

"You damn long nose! Why the hell are you trying to so hard to protect her?!" Jango screamed, clutching his hand.

Usopp collapsed on the floor, "Shut up! I'll protect what I want to protect! I let my mother die on me once, I won't let that happen to Kaya either! I will protect what I treasure!"

Usopp stood on shaky legs in front of Kaya, protecting her from Jango.

"You bastard, if I don't finish this up soon, my captain's going to kill me…" Jango brought out two more chakrams from underneath his cloak.

"I will only warn you once, step aside boy, or I will kill you…"

"Never," Usopp stood defiantly, despite his bravado, his legs were clearly shaking uncontrollably.

"Then die along with her!" Jango sliced his chakram at Usopp.

Usopp could see the chakram flying towards him. He thought about what would happen if he were to fall to this pirate. Kaya would have to write the will to sign over her fortunes to Kuro and die by his hands. Her dream of becoming a doctor would also never be realized.

' _Ahaha, to be honest, my dream is really to become a great warrior of the sea.'_

' _THAT'S SO COOL!'_

It was the first time someone didn't actually laugh at his dream.

Usopp reached out and grabbed the chakram with his left hand, wincing in pain as the chakram cut his hand. Jango tried to pry his chakram out from his hand but realized it wouldn't budge.

"You… Who are you?" Jango gasped, slack jawed at Usopp.

"I… I am Usopp, the greatest warrior of the sea!" Usopp punched as hard as he could at Jango with his right fist, sending him sprawling on to the floor, unmoving.

"Wow, that was a nice punch." Both Usopp and Kaya turned to look at Luffy standing by a tree grinning at the two of them.

"How long were you there?" Usopp gasped.

"When you said you would protect what you want to protect." Luffy smiled.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME THEN?!" Usopp shouted at him with shark like teeth.

"Shishishi, you didn't have the look of a guy who was about to give up," Luffy chuckled. "Besides, you're a great warrior of the sea right? You should be able to protect what you treasure the most!"

Usopp snorted, but smiled at his comment. "It's over huh,"

"Yep. Hey, Usopp, you want to join my crew as a Marine?" Luffy grinned.

"As a Marine?" Usopp glanced at Luffy.

"Yeah! You're hardly a great warrior of the sea if you're not actually at sea are you? Shishishi" Luffy laughed.

"Hahaha, I guess not…" Usopp collapsed beside Kaya, who was staring at the two incredulously.

Usopp took one long look at Kaya, who looked back at him reassuringly.

"A marine huh, I guess I don't mind…" Usopp grinned.

"Yeah!" Luffy punched his hands in the air victoriously.

* * *

"This is Captain Hina reporting, Headquarters come in."

"Headquarters receiving loud and clear, go ahead Captain Hina."

"Hina victorious, we have successfully rounded up the Black Cat Pirates and Captain Kuro, although the stand-in captain Jango managed to escape."

"Understood Captain Hina, the bounty for them will be sent to you once you turn them in at the nearest base."

"Negative HQ, send the bounty to Captain Monkey D. Luffy, he was the one who caught Captain Kuro himself."

"Will do, good job Captains, Headquarters out."

Hina stowed her den den mushi away, watching as the bound pirates are loaded up into the marine battleship. Captain Kuro himself was still unconscious and had to be carried while bound with Hina's manacles.

Jango had managed to escape while Luffy was carrying an unconscious Merry, a sick Kaya and an injured Usopp back to the village.

"You sure you don't want to split the bounty, Hina?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.

Hina shook her head, grinning, "Hina satisfied with just seeing you again. I'll have to head back to the Grand Line soon. So this should be the last time I'm seeing you on this part of the sea."

"Shishishi, if you insist then, I'll take it." Luffy chuckled.

"When you stop by Loguetown, say hi to Smoker for me," Hina smiled.

"Alright, if you see gramps, say hi to him for me too!"

Hina gave Luffy one last bear hug before turning and waving goodbye.

Luffy turned to see his three crew members grinning at him. "Ready to set sail again?"

"You bet we are, Captain." Zoro grinned.

"Captain Luffy!" A voice yelled out. All of them turned to see Merry running towards them, waving his hands frantically.

"Hey, it's the sheep guy," Luffy smiled.

"Captain Luffy! My mistress wants to see you!" Merry gasped, finally reaching them.

"Oh, what for?" Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"She said she has something to give you, you should go find her at the jetty behind the mansion." Merry beckoned them to follow him.

Kaya was waiting for them when they finally reached the mansion's jetty.

"Luffy, you mentioned about needing a ship before, right?"

"Yes?" Luffy nodded dumbly.

Kaya gestured to the ship behind her.

"It's nothing much, but please accept it as my thanks to you."

"It's a caravel!" Nami exclaimed.

"IT'S SO COOL!" Luffy's eyes sparkled.

"Way better than what we have now," Zoro grinned.

"Are you sure, Kaya? This is too much for us…" Usopp hesitated.

"Oh don't be such a wet blanket Usopp! She's willing to give it to us!" Nami smacked Usopp on the head.

Kaya giggled at their antics, "It's fine Usopp, I know it would do well in your crew's hands."

"What's the ship called?" Luffy asked, already jumping around the ship in joy.

"The Going Merry," Merry answered helpfully.

"Yeah! This is going to be so awesome! We're going out to the sea on Merry guys!" Luffy cheered, the others couldn't help but smile at him.

"Kaya, I promise I'll come back one day with much more tales than before!" Usopp grinned.

"I look forward to it, Usopp." Kaya giggled.

"Let's head out to sea Marines!" Luffy yelled, punching the air in victory.

* * *

 _A few hours after setting sail_

"So we need to have our own symbol as a Marine ship," Luffy wagged his finger.

"Leave the drawing to me! I had tons of practice when I used to draw on the walls of people's homes in the past!" Usopp grinned proudly.

"That' not really something to be proud about…" Nami sweat-dropped.

Usopp drew the symbol of Marines on top of the flag and then a straw hat right below it.

"What do you think?" Usopp looked at his handiwork proudly.

"It's perfect!" Nami exclaimed.

"That's definitely us," Zoro nodded.

"Then let's go with it!" Luffy held on to the flag proudly. "We need to paint it on the sails too! Let's do it! Let's do it! Let's do it!"

The four finally collapsed on the ground after finishing their painting. All of them glanced at the Marine insignia with the Straw hat underneath it.

"As of today, the Straw Hat Marines is officially formed!" Luffy punched into the air.

The other three grinned at him, punching in the air similarly, "YEAH!"


	7. Chapter 7: The Cook And The Sword

"Hey Usopp, you're pretty good with your slingshot right?" Luffy asked, spinning his straw hat on his finger. The four of them were seated in the ship's kitchen, eating a rather plain breakfast at the table.

"Yeah! Anything I can see, I can hit!" Usopp beamed proudly, thumping his chest.

"You can be our marksman then! Just like your dad was on Shank's crew!" Luffy grinned.

Usopp's jaw hit the table. "Just… Just like my dad? A marksman of the crew?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"I'll take it!" Usopp punched his hands in the air, chuckling to himself.

"Besides that, I think we need another crew member," Luffy pointed out, putting his hat back on his head.

"Indeed, we have such a nice kitchen too," Nami nodded, smiling.

"It would be a waste if it's not used properly," Zoro grinned.

"Shishishi! Yep! We need a musician!" Luffy chuckled.

"NO WE DON'T!" All three of them yelled at their Captain with shark teeth.

"Why would we even need a musician in the first place?!" A tick appeared on Nami's head.

"Because sailors love to sing!" Luffy replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Whenever I followed my Gra- My trainer on his ship, his crew would always be singing, it was so fun!"

Nami sighed at his simple-minded mentality. Zoro grinned and shook his head. Usopp nodded to himself as if Luffy had just shared a great piece of wisdom with him.

"The fact remains that this kitchen is wasted on the four of us," Nami sighed, glancing at the simple toast and eggs breakfast they made for themselves.

"It would be nice if we could find a cook, he would know to get the best booze," Zoro grinned, drinking even in the morning.

"Oh! Then I can have meat every day!" Luffy grinned.

"I guess we can find one on our next stop, assuming there is one." Usopp nodded.

* * *

Luffy and Usopp were on the deck, Luffy watching Usopp tinkering with one of the cannons.

"Alright! I'm done with this one!" Usopp exclaimed, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Ehhh... so you're good with these things too?" Luffy's eyes sparkled.

"Of course! Back in my village, I had to learn to take apart and put together many of my neighbor's things as pranks!" Usopp thumped his chest proudly.

"So cool!" Luffy exclaimed, punching his hands in the air.

"Alright, now to test this out," Usopp swiveled the cannon to point at an outcrop of rocks nearby. Loading a cannon ball inside, he squinted his eyes as he adjusted it's elevation before firing the cannon and hitting the rock with a satisfying boom.

"Wow! You hit it on your first try!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Of course! I'm the marksman after all!" Usopp grinned proudly.

Luffy stiffened as he heard a scream. Usopp was oblivious to it, but Luffy heard it clearly with his haki.

"Guys! Turn this ship around! There's someone on that rock!" Luffy shouted, going into Captain Mode.

"Eh? The rock we just shot at?" Usopp paled.

"Yes! Nami! Turn it around!" Luffy shouted, pulling his Marine coat he had left hanging on the railing over his shoulders.

"Aye, Captain!" She turned to wheel, swiveling the ship to pass beside the rock.

As the ship passed by, they spotted a small boat that was tied to the rock and an angry swordsman shaking his fist at them. He wore a blue jacket over his t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses donned on his face. His sword hung prominently on his right hip.

"YOU DAMN MARINES! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He yelled.

"Ah… Sorry, that was our marksman testing out our cannons. You're still ok right?" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

"LIKE HELL I'M OK WHEN YOU SHOT A CANNON AT ME! MY FRIEND IS DYING HERE!" the swordsman gestured to the prone figure beside him, clearly not in good shape.

"Eh, aren't you Johnny? What the hell happened to Yosaku?" Zoro lifted an eyebrow.

"EHH?! IS THAT BROTHER ZORO?!" Johnny's eye's popped out.

"STOP SHOUTING AT US!" Nami shouted back.

* * *

It was a while later when Johnny managed to get his partner Yosaku onto Merry, with Zoro asking what happened to them.

"He's sick, brother Zoro…" Johnny cried.

"Sick?" All four marines tilted their heads at him.

"Yeah… He was just fine a couple of days ago, but he suddenly turned pale and he kept passing out on me. Then his teeth started falling out and even his old wounds reopened. I don't know if he's able to make it any more…" Johnny was bawling at the gasping figure of Yosaku on the deck.

"I was letting him rest on the rock there but suddenly you guys fired at us…"

Both Usopp and Luffy gaped at him, bowing their heads in shame, "We're so sorry!"

"It's alright, what's done is done." Johnny sniffled. "If this is the way he's meant to die, then so be it…"

Luffy and Usopp had tears streaming down their faces now.

"We were such great partners, taking down pirates one after the other… Is this how it will all end?"

"Wow, you guys are really idiots…" Nami said calmly, unfazed by his crying.

"Nami! How can you be so calm? He's dying!" Usopp shouted at her.

"Shut up! If you have time to cry, go to the kitchen and squeeze some lime juice for him to drink!" Nami smacked Usopp on the head.

"Li… Lime juice? But why?" Usopp rubbed his head.

"JUST DO IT!" Nami smacked him again, causing Usopp to break off running into the kitchen.

"Your friends suffering from Scurvy, when was the last time you guys actually ate any fruits or vegetables?" Nami scoffed at Johnny.

"Huh? Er… A few weeks ago, I guess?" Johnny scratched his head at the sudden question.

"Then you guys are idiots!" Nami smacked Johnny's head as well. "If you don't eat well, of course you'll fall sick!"

Usopp returned and began pouring the cup of lime juice down Yosaku's throat with Luffy helping to open his mouth. The scene looked as though they were putting him through water torture.

"If we're not too late, your friend should recover in a few days," Nami sighed.

"Really sis?! Yosaku's going to be ok?" Johnny tried to grab Nami's shoulders only for her to push him away.

"Please don't call me sis… And how can you guys not know this? This is the most basic knowledge a sailor should know!" Nami smacked Johnny again.

"Ah, that's right! I remember they taught us that in the Marines too!" Luffy looked up at them, still holding Yosaku's mouth open while Usopp continued to dump lime juice down his throat.

"ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO DROWN HIM?!" Nami yelled incredulously.

Yosaku opened his eyes suddenly, flinging both Usopp and Luffy off as he jumped up on his feet.

"I am revived!" Yosaku punched his hands in the air in victory.

"My partner's all fine now!" Johnny joined Yosaku in their victory dance.

"LIKE HELL YOU CAN RECOVER THAT QUICKLY!" Nami yelled at the two of them.

"Sorry, sorry." The two swordsman settled down.

"My name is Johnny, I'm a bounty hunter." Johnny grinned.

"And I am Yosaku, likewise a bounty hunter. Brother Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past." He scratched his head in embarrassment. "I really owe my life to you guys, if you hadn't come along, I would have died by now."

"Speaking of which, I never thought that Brother Zoro the pirate hunter, the one who always hated following orders, would become a Marine." Johnny remarked.

"Indeed, a very remarkable turn of events." Yosaku nodded, before suddenly spurting out blood and collapsing.

"JUST SHUT UP AND REST ALREADY, YOU MORON!" Zoro shouted at him.

* * *

With Yosaku tucked away in the men's quarters, the crew gathered on deck again.

"If we want to survive out at sea, we're going to have to get ourselves a proper cook," Nami remarked.

"The question now is, where can we find one?" Zoro grinned.

"I can help with that brother Zoro!" Johnny raised his hand like a schoolboy answering a question. "There's a famous restaurant of the seas a few days sail away from here, you're sure to find a good cook there. Whether you can convince a cook to join you though, that's another question."

"Alright! Let's set a course to the restaurant!" Luffy grinned.

The ship sailed steadily towards their destination for the next two days, with Yosaku recovering well enough to join the crew on the deck.

On the third day, the floating restaurant finally came into view. The restaurant itself was a ship designed to look like a fish. The front of the ship had a fish head and the tail doubled as the ship's rudder. The body of the fish was replaced by a three story building with the words 'Restaurant Baratie' proudly on display at the entrance.

"It's a fish! That's so cool!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Hurry guys! I can smell meat from here!"

As they neared the restaurant, a Marine ship heading in the same direction pulled up next to them, a man wearing a white pinstripe suit appeared on the deck, spotting the Straw hats.

"What kind of Marine unit is that? I've never seen that one before…" The man stepped closer to the railings, scrutinizing the crew on the ship with disdain.

"Hey, who's your captain? Which unit to you belong to? I've never seen you guys before." The man spat arrogantly.

Luffy stepped up to the prow of his ship, returning the man's gaze without flinching, "Who the heck are you?"

The man noticed the Marine cloak that Luffy wore and frowned, "I am Marine Lieutenant Fullbody, also known as 'Ironfist Fullbody'. Now who the heck are you?"

Luffy clucked his tongue at the name, not recognizing it. He crossed his arms at the lieutenant, "I am Marine Captain Monkey D. Luffy. My unit, 'Straw Hat Marines' was only officially formed two days ago under the direct command of Vice Admiral Garp. What business do you have with us?"

Fullbody stiffened at once and saluted immediately, "My apologies sir! I didn't have prior knowledge of your group's existence! Please forgive my rudeness!"

"That was a quick change in tone," Nami noted.

"Leave it to our Captain to put show offs in their place," Zoro grinned.

"What is your business here, Lieutenant Fullbody?" Luffy asked.

"My… Er… Well… I'm currently off-duty right now… And I have a date planned at that restaurant, sir." Fullbody stuttered, unsure of how the Captain will react.

"Oh, what a coincidence!" Luffy grinned, "We're heading there too! I'll see you guys inside then!" Luffy waved him away.

"Ah, of course sir!" Fullbody kept his salute up until Luffy turned away from him, visibly letting out the breath he had been holding.

As both ships docked on the restaurant, Luffy gathered his crew around.

"Alright, you guys go get yourselves something to eat first, I'll talk to the owner and see if has any cooks willing to join us!"

Everyone stared at Luffy in disbelief.

"You would actually do something else when there's food right there?" Usopp gasped.

"What? Once we get our own food, I can eat however I want!" Luffy grinned.

Everyone sighed as the prepared to disembark.

As Luffy was preparing to leave, a voice called out from behind him, "Luffy, Captain. May I have a word?"

Luffy turned to see Nami hanging around the now empty deck. "Sure, what do you need, Nami?"

Nami hesitated, unwilling to meet Luffy's eyes, "You'll be stopping at my village soon right?"

"Yep, why?" Luffy raised any eyebrow.

"I may have some… appointments I need to keep back there…" Nami looked at Luffy hesitatingly.

"Oh, really? How soon?"

"Within this week."

Luffy scratched his chin, thinking.

"I understand, I'll make sure we'll spend at maximum three days here. We'll get you back on time, don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Luffy," Nami massaged her arm in embarrassment.

The Straw Hat Marines found themselves a table beside the Marine Lieutenant they met earlier and began ordering food for themselves while Luffy went off to find the owner.

Luffy found a chef and asked to be lead to the owner, the chef saw the Marine insignia that Luffy wore and complied immediately.

"Owner Zeff, there's a Marine looking for you," The chef ratted on the door that lead to his room.

"Send him in," a voice came from the other side.

Luffy entered the room to find a blonde haired old man sitting by his desk in a chef uniform. He sported an impressive mustache that was accompanied by a beard. On his head rested a chef's hat that almost reached all the way to the ceiling of the room, as though to make a point that the person wearing it was a chef. The most noticeable feature was that his right leg ended in a stump just below the knee and a wooden peg leg was attached to it.

"Hey, are you the owner?" Luffy waved.

Zeff stood up to meet Luffy, "Aye, I'm Zeff. What do you want Marine?"

"I'm Captain Monkey D. Luffy and I'm looking for a cook to join my crew!" Luffy grinned.

"You're looking for a cook to join your crew?" Zeff repeated.

"Yeah! I don't suppose you have someone that might want to join my crew?" Luffy continued to smile at him.

"Tch, you're strange for a Marine," the owner grinned. "Usually when a marine asks to see me is to demand for me to waive their expenses as a fee for their protection or some sort. We sea cooks need no protection from Marines!"

"Oh, so you guys can fight too? Even better!" Luffy laughed.

"You're an interesting one, boy!" Zeff smiled. "So you need a cook on your crew eh? Especially one that knows how to fight?"

"You bet! He needs to be able to cook and kick ass!" Luffy punched in front of him to emphasize his point.

"Hahaha! Tell ya what, kid. I don't know if any of my boys would give up their position to become a Marine though, but if you find someone who does, you have my permission to take him with you!" Zeff chuckled despite himself.

"Really! Thanks old man! You're the best!" Luffy shook Zeff's hands enthusiastically.

"Heh, but make sure you take care of my boys, but then again I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want someone who can't take care of themselves, right Captain?" Zeff grinned wickedly.

"You bet! We'll be facing many criminals out there, so he'll have to—"

A gunshot rang through the restaurant, cutting Luffy off mid-sentence.

Both Luffy and Zeff sprinted out of the room and down to the restaurant, seeing a bloodied pirate holding on to a gun standing at the doorway of the restaurant. A marine was lying down prone on the floor, blood oozing out from a gunshot wound from his chest. The Marine Lieutenant Fullbody was also sporting bruises and bleeding on the ground, although for what reason was unclear.

Luffy, however, had his eyes locked on the marine that was clutching at his wound on the ground, his eyes were deathly cold.

"Bring me some food," the pirate demanded weakly, the gun in his hands was swinging weakly in his grip.

Luffy stepped away from Zeff and knelt down beside the marine, turning him over to check his wound. The marine barely noticed him as he shut his eyes in pain while clutching at his open wound.

The first-aid training Luffy did in the marines quickly clicked themselves into place as he ran a critical eye over the wound. He relaxed slightly when he found the wound not as life threatening as he thought… Slightly. He tore off a strip of cloth from a nearby table cloth and tried to dress the wound as best as he could.

The pirate stepped over them as he entered the restaurant.

"Stop right there," Luffy growled, not stopping at dressing the marine's wounds.

The pirate didn't even look at him as he pointed the gun at Luffy's head and fired a shot. Luffy's hands did not slow in tying the knot on the cloth as he moved his head to the left to dodge the bullet.

The pirate's eyes widened as Luffy stood up and faced him, his eyes boring into the pirate.

"You shot him," it wasn't a question, it was just Luffy stating a simple fact, like a judge declaring a criminal guilty of his crimes.

The pirate swung the pistol up and shot at him again, but this time Luffy caught the bullet in between his thumb and index finger without blinking. His eyes never left the pirate as he crushed the bullet into dust, advancing towards him.

The restaurant watched as Luffy grabbed the pirate's gun and snapped it in his hands before pulling him up by the collar to stare directly into his eyes.

"You there, marine. Hold on a moment." A blonde haired cook walked towards him, puffing on a cigarette.

Luffy wrinkled his nose at the cigarette smell which the cook noticed. The cook swiftly extinguished it in a nearby ashtray before continuing to walk towards him.

"He's starving, let me feed him first before you do whatever you want with him." The cook stood before the Marine Captain, hands in his pockets.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Sanji?! He just shot that marine!" One of the cooks shouted at him.

Sanji didn't say anything as he stood in front of Luffy, unmoving.

Luffy took a glance at the cook before looking back at the pirate, fear obvious in his eyes. On the ground, the marine coughed, wincing in pain but very much alive.

"Apologize to him," Luffy whispered, but it may as well have been a shout in the deathly silent restaurant.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" The pirate barely spluttered out before Luffy dropped him on the floor unceremoniously.

"Lieutenant!" Luffy turned to the prone officer.

Fullbody immediately stood and saluted, though rather comically with his bloodied face. "Yes, sir!"

Luffy gestured to the marine, "Bring him back to your ship and make sure he gets proper treatment, I've done all I can for now."

"Yes, sir!" Fullbody immediately hauled the marine on his shoulders and ran out of the restaurant, glad to be out of the place.

"He's all yours," Luffy said, passing by Sanji.

"Thanks," The cook muttered before slinging the exhausted and starving pirate over his shoulders, carrying him out of the restaurant.

Luffy went towards the table his crew was at and sat down amidst the stares of everyone. The owner finally released the tension as he clapped his hands, "Alright you lousy cooks, that's all the show you're getting, get back to work!"

"Yes, owner Zeff!" The cooks shouted heartily as they scurried back to the kitchen and everyone else relaxing back into their seats.

"Who was that?" Luffy finally asked.

"A member of the Krieg pirates," Zoro sighed, as though whatever happened before bore him.

"Apparently that Marine Lieutenant from earlier was holding him custody on his ship before he broke out and escaped here," Nami offered.

"Yeah, and that blonde guy that was talking to you earlier? He beat up that Marine Lieutenant for insulting his food." Usopp jerked his thumb towards the entrance.

"Oh?" Luffy leaned forward, interested. "So that cook can fight huh?"

"You're not thinking of..." Nami gasped.

"Wait, what did the owner say to you?" Zoro asked hopefully.

"Ah, he said that if I could convince anyone to join, I'm free to take him!" Luffy grinned.

"Oh, no… Please not him…" Zoro groaned.

"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head at Zoro.

"He's nothing but a pervert," Usopp added helpfully.

"Hey, just because he was fawning all over me and gave me free food makes him a pervert," Nami protested.

Johnny and Yosaku just stared at the four Marines incredulously.

"Ah!" Luffy clapped his hands together, remembering. " Speaking of which, I should go ask him right now!" Luffy stood up from the table and ran outside the restaurant.

"This guy… I'll never understand what's going on in that head of his…" Nami sighed, slumping her head down on the table.

* * *

Luffy spotted the cook and pirate near the back of the ship just as Sanji placed a plate of steaming food in front of him.

"Eat," Sanji ordered as he sat down beside the pirate.

"Why are you doing this?" The pirate gasped, watching Sanji carefully.

Sanji took a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling in a single long puff. "I know how it feels to be without food for a long time. No matter who it is, no one deserves to starve… Now eat."

The pirate took up the plate with shaky hands, "What's your name?"

"Sanji," he sighed.

"Thank you... Sanji…" He first took a small spoonful of food, before abandoning any form of resistance and started to shovel food into his mouth with wild abandon.

"It's so good… It's too good…" The pirate sobbed, tears spilling down his cheeks.

Sanji just grinned as he leaned his head back, satisfied with just feeding another starving man.

"Hey cook," Sanji turned to see Luffy standing a few feet away, walking towards them.

"Marine," Sanji stood slowly, standing in between Luffy and the pirate. The pirate visible stiffened as he saw Luffy, seemingly shrinking smaller and smaller as Luffy got closer.

"So you gave him food huh? You're a pretty nice guy," Luffy grinned.

Sanji only snorted, giving one final puff of his cigarette before tossing it away.

"What do you want?" Sanji eyed the Marine Captain suspiciously.

"I need a cook for my crew and I'm looking for one," Luffy grinned pointedly at Sanji.

Sanji seemed to get the clue but shook his head, "You'll have to ask someone else, I'm not leaving this place, much less interested in becoming a Marine."

Luffy pouted, "Come on, it'll be fun! Join my crew!"

"I said no! I don't have any interests in leaving this place!" Sanji glared at the Captain.

"So you refuse?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I refuse!"

"Then I'll refuse too!" Luffy grinned.

"What? What is there to refuse?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"I refuse your refusal!" Luffy stuck out his hand to shake as though he had already agreed to join him.

A tick appeared on Sanji's head as he smacked Luffy's hand away, "That's not how it works, you little shit!"

"Aww… Then what can I do to convince you?" Luffy pouted.

"Nothing you can do!" Sanji turned his back on the Marine, cursing under his breath.

"Er… Are you here to arrest me?" the pirate asked shakily.

Luffy turned to regard the pirate with a raised eyebrow, "Huh? Of course not, I mean you're an ok guy, I guess. I noticed you didn't aim to kill that marine before." He frowned suddenly, "Though you did try to kill me, not that you could anyway, so it's fine."

Sanji didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his naivety.

"Er… Thanks, I guess? But I'm a pirate?"

"Oh, I believe not all pirates are bad, so unless you prove me otherwise, I have nothing against you. Whose crew do you belong to?"

"I'm Gin of the Krieg Pirates." he smiled weakly.

Luffy's grin turned into a scowl as he heard the name, "That guy? he's one of the worse captains out here that you can follow. He doesn't care one bit for his crew and thinks he can get his way just with some petty tricks. And the way he's pirating, just downright atrocious, no class at all."

Gin's eyes widened as he said that, he was expecting a more hostile reaction rather than just criticisms on his way of pirating.

"So what do you want with me?" Gin tried to ask.

"Nothing? You're gonna leave after he feeds you right?" Luffy jerked his head towards Sanji. "Just a piece of advice, you're better off without that captain of yours."

"A Marine that let's a pirate go free, that's new." Sanji smirked.

"You would really just willingly let me go, knowing that I'm a member of the Krieg pirates?" Gin stared at Luffy in wonder.

"Sure," Luffy crossed his arms, smiling at him.

Gin shook his head, not sure what was going through the marine's head.

"Listen, Gin. I already prepared a boat for you, get out of here as soon as you can." Sanji jerked his thumb towards a small boat tied to the back of the restaurant.

"Sanji, I'll never forget this, because of you, I'm alive!" Gin held on to Sanji's hands gratefully, tears streaming past his cheeks.

"HEY BRAT!" A loud voice bellowed from above them. All three looked up to see Zeff leaning over the railing on the second floor, watching them.

Gin's face fell as he stared at the empty plate beside him, "I'm sorry you'll get into trouble because of me…"

"Nonsense, you already paid for your food," Luffy pushed a few berry notes into Sanji before giving Gin a push in the direction of the boat.

"You're really weird, you know that?" Sanji grinned, clasping on the berries he received.

Zeff just grunted, "Get back to work you stupid cook." He left without waiting for an answer.

"I'll never forget this Sanji!" Gin waved the cook goodbye as the boat was carried off by the waves, sailing further and further away.

"So will you join my crew now?" Luffy grinned.

"Hell no, I still have my own dreams to fulfill."

That sparked off Luffy grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him to face him, "REEEAAALLY? Tell me please! Please! Please! Please! Plea-"

"GET OFF ME YOU SHITTY MARINE!" Sanji pulled himself away from Luffy, stumbling. "I have no reason to tell you anyway!"

"Selfish," Luffy pouted. He turned to leave, his cloak swaying behind him against the wind. "I still reject your refusal though, so I'm staying here until you agree to come with me."

"YOU DAMN MARINE! LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS SAY TO YOU!" Sanji yelled after the departing Marine.

* * *

Things proceeded normally for the next two days, the Straw Hats continued to stay at the restaurant on their Captain's orders to try and convince Sanji to join them, much to Zoro's dismay.

"Must it be him, Captain? Zoro groaned. "There's plenty of other chefs that we could find…"

"No, he's both a good chef and a good fighter. I've seen the way he moves, we'll not settle for anything less." With that, Luffy silenced any other forms of protests.

On the beginning of the third day, Luffy and Nami were alone onboard Merry, the other guys having gone to have their breakfast.

"Luffy, about the thing I asked you before…" Nami hesitated.

"I understand Nami, if I can't get him to join today, we'll go back to your hometown first. You don't need to worry." Luffy finished for her.

"Are you sure you want to follow me? For all you know, I may be leading you into a trap…"

Luffy took one look at her and laughed, "Shishishishi! Nami, what kind of person tells the other they may be leading them into a trap if they really planned to do so?"

Nami grimaced, usually the one admonishing the other for not thinking was her, not Luffy. She hung her shoulders in defeat, sighing.

"I do have to warn you though, I haven't officially agreed to join your crew yet, so technically I'm still not a Marine."

"Works for me, once we're done with your hometown, you can officially be one of us then!" Luffy grinned enthusiastically.

"I don't understand why do you have so much faith in me?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't done anything for me not to trust you," Luffy shrugged, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Nami sighed again, "Alright, one more day then, then I'm leaving here with or without you."

"Heh, thanks Nami, though I would appreciate if-" A sudden explosion rang through the restaurant.

Nami and Luffy glanced at each other before jumping out of their ship and running back into the restaurant. Several gunshots also rang out while they were running there.

Luffy burst into the dining area just in time to see a man wearing golden armor strut out with a huge sack over his shoulders. Gin was kneeling on the floor, apologizing repeatedly to Sanji. Many of the cooks seemed to be lying around on the floor with various bullet wounds while Sanji seemed to have taken a rather nasty hit to his face.

"What happened here?" Luffy approached Zoro, fists clenched.

"Don Krieg showed up with his crew, he demanded the cooks to feed him before he got violent on them… That Zeff guy just gave him the food he asked for even though Don Krieg had threatened to take over this ship once his men are fed. I can't believe these guys..." Zoro spat.

"Yeah… Apparently he just came back from the Grand Line when his armada of five thousand men were decimated by a single guy… His galleon looks to be in a pretty bad shape..." Usopp added helpfully.

The rest of the cooks seemed to be blaming Sanji for choosing to feed Don Krieg when Zeff told them to shut up, stating none of them knew what it was like to starve to the brink of death before.

Sanji smirked at him, "Relax guys, it's my policy to feed starving men, but since these pirates are no longer starving, no one can blame me for beating the hell out of them when they come, right?"

The other cooks shook their heads at him.

"Hey Gin," Gin turned to see Luffy standing by the side.

"You're still here huh, Marine?" Gin sighed.

"Who's the guy who did this to your ship?" Luffy stepped towards him.

"He's a monster, not a guy… That crazy strength can never belong to a human being… Before we even knew what was happening, he had destroyed so many of our ships with just his sword… I still remember his eyes, it was like the eyes of a hawk, staring down at me like I was his next prey…" Gin was crouching down on the floor, hands covering his head in fear.

"Royal Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk," Luffy finished for Gin, smiling.

Everyone in the restaurant immediately stiffened hearing that name.

"Shi… Shichibukai?" The cooks muttered.

"So he's here…" Zoro grinned, grasping his swords tightly. "Finally I will get to meet you, 'The World's Greatest Swordsman'."

Yells of victory came from the galleon outside the restaurant as the pirates readied themselves to attack. All the cooks had their weapons out and were marching out the door when the galleon suddenly collapsed within itself.

"The galleon, it got cut?" Nami gasped, not believing what she was seeing.

Zeff yelled out to the chefs to move the ship out of the way as parts of the galleon crashed in around them. Nami raced back to Merry in an attempt to move it out of the way as well, anchoring it a few feet away from the restaurant.

"There he is, the bastard…" Zeff scoffed, spotting a lone figure sailing out of the mist on a coffin-shaped boat.

"You bastard! What have we done to you? Why did you follow us here?!" One of the Krieg pirates demanded.

"Just passing through to meet a friend…" Mihawk answered, not sparing a glance at the pirates.

"You asshole!" A pirate pointed his guns at him and fired two shots.

Mihawk didn't even flinch as he drew his sword behind his back smoothly in an arc, deflecting the bullets away from him.

"Such graceful swordsmanship… Truly deserving of the title of the best... " Zoro gasped. He stood on the deck of the restaurant, watching Mihawk's passive face.

"HEY! HAWKY! YOU MADE IT!" Luffy jumped on the railings, waving wildly at Mihawk.

Mihawk broke out in a grin, his impassive face disappearing like a mirage. He sheathed his sword as he stood up from his boat, "Luffy! I got your message! How have you been?"

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _What?" Mihawk glared at the marine boy that hasn't stop staring at him the moment he walked into the meeting room of Marine Headquarters. Both of them were currently alone as they waited for the rest to show up.  
_

" _You look funny," The boy blurted out innocently. "I like you!"_

 _Mihawk didn't know whether to laugh or rage at the boy but settled for the former._

" _Who are you? What are you doing here? You have a nice hat! What sword is that? Why are your eyes like that? Can I touch your sword? Can I wear your hat?" The boy fired off his questions like a machine gun._

" _Kukukuku, you're an interesting one boy, what's your name?"_

" _Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be an Admiral!"_

" _Monkey? Garp's family I see… So you want to be an Admiral huh, you've got a long road ahead of you."_

" _I don't care, I'm still going to do it!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air._

" _Kukukuku, well said boy, if only more people in the world had your conviction."_

" _Shishishi, so who are you?" Luffy grinned at the swordsman._

" _How rude of me, I'm Dracule Mihawk, greatest swordsman in the world."_

" _That's so cool!" Luffy jumped towards Mihawk, gawking up at him. Mihawk spotted the straw hat that was tied to his back._

" _That straw hat, did someone by the name of Shanks give it to you?"_

" _Oh! You know Shanks?! He gave this hat to me after I told him I'll become an Admiral!"_

" _Wahhahhahhah! You're getting more and more interesting boy! Shanks actually gave you that hat when you told him you wanted to be an Admiral?" Mihawk laughed._

" _Yep! He's a really good guy!" Luffy smiled, innocently._

" _You know he's a pirate right?"_

" _Yep, he's a really good pirate too! I like him!"_

" _Wahhahhahhah! So what will you do when you catch him?"_

" _Catch him?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I catch him? He's a good guy, I only catch bad guys."_

" _Kukukuku, Luffy the world is going to feel your presence once you get out there. You have the conviction and the will to make changes like no one else has ever dreamed of."_

" _Really? Do you think I can be an Admiral too?" Luffy grinned._

" _That and more, Luffy. And I swear, by my name as Dracule Mihawk, that I will support your ambition as long as you swear to never stray from the path you had set out yourself."_

" _REALLY?! Thanks Hawky!"_

" _Hawky?" Mihawk stared at Luffy incredulously._

" _Yeah! Your eyes look like a hawk! It's so cool!"_

" _Wahhahhahhah!"_

* * *

"I've been fine! I'm glad you could make it in time! Here's the man that I told you about!" Luffy gestured to Zoro.

"You brought him here?" Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"Hey, you said you wanted to meet him, and we were going to stay here for awhile anyway so I called him." Luffy shrugged.

"So, you're Roronoa Zoro, the best swordsman of East Blue?" Mihawk scrutinized Zoro.

"Roronoa?"

"So it really is him!"

"Three swords on his waist…"

"The pirate hunter…"

The cooks and pirates began muttering amongst themselves.

"Luffy has told me many things about you, about your ambition to surpass me as the best swordsman in the world."

"Indeed," Zoro grinned, tying his bandana on his head. "And I wish to duel you!"

Mihawk snorted, "I don't mean to insult you, Zoro, but the world is big, fighting you at your current level will only be an insult to me."

Zoro gritted his teeth, "You don't know anything about me…"

"Perhaps, but I can judge your strength well enough, I say the truth that your current skill level is below mine, but if you still wish to duel, I will gladly oblige."

Zoro unsheathed his three swords and leapt across the water, landing among the remains of Don Krieg's ship. "I request a duel."

"Very well," Mihawk took out his necklace of a cross and pulled the end out, revealing a small blade underneath. "I apologize but this is the smallest blade I have."

"You insult me?" Zoro scowled.

"Not at all, this is similar to how you wouldn't use a cannon to kill a fly."

Zoro's scowl deepened as he charged towards Mihawk.

" **Oni Giri!** "

Zoro slashed all three of his swords at Mihawk, only for them all to be stopped by a single stab of Mihawk's blade. In an instant, Mihawk had correctly gauged the time where all three of Zoro's blades will converge and stabbed towards that point, stopping his blades from moving.

Zoro could not even budge an inch against the knife that was pushing him back with a monstrous force.

' _Impossible! This is the level of the best? I can't be so far from it!'_

Zoro started slashing at Mihawk with wild abandon, trying to get at least a hit on him.

"Such ferocity, Zoro... To be the best, you at least must be calm even in the fiercest of battles." Mihawk lectured, deflecting all of Zoro's strikes gracefully.

' _I can't lose! I didn't train all my life just to fight against his toy!'_

Zoro slashed at Mihawk again, only for Mihawk to push him back with his blade.

* * *

" _I want to be the strongest Swordsman in the world!"_

" _After all, an Admiral's crew should only have the best!"_

* * *

' _You knew he was this much stronger than me, and yet you had faith that I could reach him?'_

Zoro settled into his stance, bringing the two swords in his hands behind the one in his mouth.

" **Tora Gari!** "

Zoro slashed forwards as Mihawk charged at him. Zoro's swords never reached his target as Mihawk stabbed at his chest.

Zoro stood still staring at Mihawk as the knife pierced his chest.

"Why do you refuse to step back even so?" Mihawk glanced at Zoro.

"Honestly, I don't know," Zoro confessed. "But I feel like I would lose something really important if I were to even take a step back."

"That is your conviction, your will to deny defeat even in death. The same conviction that Luffy has that drives him to change the world. Would you rather die than be defeated?"

"I would!" Zoro gritted his teeth.

Mihawk retracted his blade from Zoro's chest.

"You have earned my respect, Roronoa Zoro, and as a mark of that as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my Black Sword, the strongest in the world." Mihawk drew the sword on his back.

"Heh… Should I thank you?" Zoro spat, raising his swords just as Mihawk began to charge.

Zoro brought his swords together, eyes only on Mihawk.

" **Santouryuu Ougi: Sanzen Sekai!** "

The two swordsmen slashed past each other, a small shockwave blasted out from their clash. Nami gasped as the swords in Zoro's hands shattered.

Zoro sheathed the last remaining sword that was in his mouth and turned to face Mihawk just as he was about to strike again. He stretched his arms wide, prepared to receive the inevitable blow.

Mihawk looked at him questioningly in which Zoro answered, "A mark on the back is a Swordsman's shame."

"Well said," Mihawk grinned as he brought the sword down on Zoro, across his chest.

"ZORO!" all of the Straw Hat Marines cried out.

"You truly are worthy of being Luffy's first mate," Mihawk grinned as Zoro fell into the water.

Johnny and Yosaku immediately leapt into the sea and swam towards Zoro.

"MIHAWK!" Luffy shouted, appearing in front of Mihawk and punching towards him. Mihawk barely had time to raise his sword in defence as Luffy's fist connected with his blade, the shockwave pushing Mihawk back a few steps.

"He managed to make him move back?" Sanji gasped.

"As monstrous as ever Luffy," Mihawk grinned uncontrollably. "Relax, I didn't kill him."

Luffy turned in time to see Johnny and Yosaku pulling out a gasping Zoro onto Merry. Nami and Usopp immediately descended upon him with Usopp administering first aid while Nami berating him for being an idiot.

"Roronoa Zoro! I shall await for you at the top of this world! Get stronger and face me once again! Forge ahead with that will of yours and surpass me, Roronoa!" Mihawk shouted.

"To think he actually acknowledges him…" Sanji muttered. "That guy must be crazy…"

"Luffy, I take it your dream hasn't changed?" Mihawk smirked.

"Not at all, I'll be standing at the top of the Marines one day for sure." He stuck his tongue at Mihawk.

"Hmph, I'll await that day then." Mihawk grinned.

"Luffy!" Zoro called out from the boat, despite the others' protests.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you! For you to have so much faith in me, and yet to not meet your expectations…"

Zoro pulled out his last sword, pointing it towards the sky, "I swear by my sword, Luffy, that until I fight him again and win, I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!"

"Zoro! Stop it! You're only making it worse!" Nami cried.

"ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT? ADMIRAL?" Zoro shouted with finality.

"Nope!" Luffy grinned.

"You found a good first mate, Luffy. I'll be seeing you then," Mihawk waved as he stepped back on his boat.

"Mihawk!" Don Krieg stepped up from behind Luffy. "Aren't you here to take my head?"

"Don't be so full of yourself, you were merely in my way when I came to meet my friend, nothing more. Someone as insignificant as you isn't even worth my time, fool." Mihawk sighed.

"Oh, you're planning to leave?" Krieg smirked. "Why don't you die first!"

Krieg brandished a two pistols while his shoulder plates flipped up to reveal more guns, all firing simultaneously at Mihawk.

"Fool…" Mihawk sighed as he slashed at the ground, sending a spray of water up. When the water came crashing down, Mihawk was already gone.

"Tch, coward," Krieg spat. He turned to regard Luffy, "Now for you, little Marine, are you here to arrest me?"

"Yes, and I'm also here to kick your ass." Luffy deadpanned.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try! Pearl!" Krieg called out behind him.

A towering man with iron plated shields all over his body approached behind Krieg.

"Heheheh, you called for me Don?" Pearl snickered.

Let's kill this upstart Marine," Krieg smirked.

Both of them charged towards Luffy when a blonde haired cook jumped in front of them, kicking at Pearl and sending him skidding backwards.

"Two against one doesn't really seem to be that fair, don't you agree?" Sanji smirked, tapping his shoe on the ground.

"Tch, whatever! Pearl! Take care of that damn cook first!" Krieg yelled.

"Hehehe! Nothing can get through my invincible wall! It's time for you to die!" Pearl charged towards Sanji.

Sanji kicked towards his head but Pearl snapped his arm up and blocked it with his shield before flinging Sanji away.

"It's no use! My shields can block even attacks from battleship cannons!" Pearl yelled confidently, charging at Sanji again.

Sanji said nothing as he kicked towards Pearl's chest, which Pearl received with his shield with confidence, barely budging against the kick.

"It's useless!" Pearl smashed his hand towards Sanji, smashing into the ground. "I have never bled in all my battles before! I have a perfect battle record! You don't stand a chance!"

Sanji charged at him again, jumping up and holding on to Pearl's arm as he tried another smash.

"Then prepare to mark this day as your first bleeding! **Collier Shoot!** "

Sanji kicked his foot towards Pear's unprotected neck, smashing him into a debris of the ship. As the dust cleared, Pearl was staring at the blood that flowed from his nose.

"I'M BLEEDING!" Pearl yelled. He smashed the shields on his fist together and the sparks ignited all his shields, setting them on fire.

"Danger! Danger! Danger! Back away!" Pearl shouted, swinging wildly at Sanji.

"This guy has a screw loose…" Sanji muttered. He flipped backwards to land on his hands, legs aimed at Pearl.

" **Poitrine Shoot!** "

Sanji kicked his foot towards Pearl's chest, knocking the man back a few feet.

"Why aren't you afraid of fire?!" Pearl demanded.

"If a cook is afraid of fire, he can never cook." Sanji grinned.

"I'll smash you!" Pearl charged at Sanji again, swinging his arms at him.

Sanji jumped over Pearl and kicked at the back of his head, sending him sprawling on the ground.

Pearl got up on shaky legs, eyes red with anger. "I'll make you pay! **Fire Pearl Daitokuten!** "

Pearl flung his arms into the air as pearls of fire exploded out from him in all directions.

' _Shit!'_

Sanji cursed as a pearl hit him square on the chest and flung him into a debris, smashing him through it.

Sanji coughed as he got out of the debris, before looking up to see a charging Pearl. He didn't have time to dodge as a flaming shield connected with his face, sending him flying back again. The Krieg pirates cheered.

"That's enough from you!" Sanji yelled, blood dripping down his head.

"All talk from someone who's half dead!" Pearl laughed as he charged again.

Sanji's eyes burned as he flipped back on his hands again.

" **Poitrine Shoot!** "

Sanji's boot landed squarely at Pearl's chest and instead of bouncing off, his kick smashed right through the shield and implanted firmly on Pearl, sending him flying into the sea.

"There, take some time to cool off, will ya?" Sanji dusted his hands.

"Pearl!" Krieg shouted after the sinking pirate.

He turned his glare at Sanji, "You will pay for that."

"I don't think so," Luffy stepped in front of Sanji, his Marine cloak fluttering in the wind. "Don't touch my cook."

"Who's your cook?!" Sanji yelled.

"Sanji, back away from here, this could get nasty." Luffy glanced at him.

Sanji saw the look in his eyes and didn't protest, jumping back to the restaurant to join Zeff.

"Watch how he fights, Sanji," Zeff muttered. "If you thought Mihawk was a monster, he's much more than that."

"That strawhat boy?" Sanji glanced at Zeff.

Zeff nodded slowly, "If you didn't notice, Mihawk actually flinched slightly when that boy yelled at him."

Sanji's eyes widened as he stared at the boy standing against Don Krieg.

"Who are you, boy?" Krieg sneered.

"Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines, I'm placing you under arrest!"

"Heh! As if you can!" Krieg took off one of his shoulder pads to hold in his hands. The shield opened up to reveal canisters clustered all around the edge of the shield.

"Die filthy Marine!" Krieg fired and spikes flew out of the shield towards Luffy.

" **Tekai** " Luffy muttered, not moving as the spikes impaled themselves on him, crushing themselves on his hardened skin before dropping on the floor, barely leaving a scratch.

Everyone's jaws dropped as they witnessed Luffy unharmed amidst the onslaught of spike.

Krieg only cursed as he opened the cannon hidden in his armour and fired at Luffy, only for Luffy to catch the cannonball in midair.

"Mihawk was right about you, Krieg, you really are a fool," Luffy grinned.

"Don't mess with me!" Krieg scowled, combining both his shoulder plates together to transform it into a spear.

"You will die now!" Krieg charged at Luffy, spear raised in the air to smash down at him.

" **Rankyaku!** "

Luffy kicked his leg in the air, the compressed air slicing the Spear off at the head, just below the combined shoulder plates.

"YOU BRAT!" Krieg cried as he witnessed hi best weapon sliced without the strawhat moving from his position.

"I'll kill you!"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Luffy droned, appearing in front of Krieg. "You're not strong enough to kill me."

" **Shigan!** "

Luffy pierced his finger into Krieg's golden armour. Krieg stared dumbly at the single finger that managed to penetrate his impenetrable defence, blood was already oozing out from the wound at his abdomen.

"What are you?" Krieg spluttered.

"A Marine." Luffy smirked, withdrawing his hand before delivering a crushing blow into Krieg's chest, shattering the armour. Turning on his heels, he lifted his leg and kicked at Krieg's head, smashing him into the ground with a satisfying boom.

"That boy... is the real monster," Zeff grinned.

* * *

"So you're not going to arrest us?" Gin stared at Luffy incredulously. Everyone had retreated back into the restaurant and the Krieg pirates were standing in front of Luffy, who was enjoying a hearty victory meal. Krieg was tied up and unconscious on the floor behind him.

"Nah… I only need Krieg, you guys didn't do anything, so you can go." Luffy waved his hand.

"But… We have no where else to go…" One of the pirates protested.

"Do any of you know how to cook?" Zeff stepped up towards them.

Most of them shook their heads. Zeff sighed, "If all of you don't mind to learn, I suppose I can hire you guys here,"

All of the pirates gasped.

"You'll take in a bunch of pirates like us?" Gin asked.

Zeff shrugged and gestured to his cooks, "these boys aren't exactly the gentleman when I picked them all up. You guys will fit right in."

Gin got down on his knees, as did all the Krieg pirates, "We'll be in your care! Owner Zeff!"

As everyone started celebrating the arrival of more staff, Nami nudged Luffy impatiently, tapping at her wrist.

Luffy sighed and went to the kitchen to find Sanji.

"Hey, Sanji! Join my crew!"

"Not this again… I already told you no, I can't leave this place." Sanji sighed, cleaning one of the knives.

"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head.

"I owe the old man too much for me to leave like this… He and I shared the same dream back then, it would be too selfish of me to run away now…"

Luffy grabbed him quickly by the shoulders, "Your dream?! Tell me please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"

"Stop it! I'm not telli-"

"To find the All BLue," Zeff walked into the kitchen.

"All Blue?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Aye, it is said that every kind of fish can be found there, it is the chef's paradise." Zeff grunted. "Go you stupid eggplant, chase that silly dream of yours, you're better out there than in here. I don't need your help with all these new guys I'll be having."

"But… It's not fair…" Sanji teared up.

"I'll tell you what's not fair you silly brat, you stuck with an old man like me when you can be out there pursuing that dream of yours. Go with the Marine and chase our dream for us." Zeff grinned.

"Old man… I…"

"Don't do that to me you stupid eggplant," Tearing up despite himself. "Go before I kick you out myself!"

Sanji got on his knees, "I'm eternally grateful for taking care of me for so long!" Tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

"I'll never in my life, ever forget the debt I can never repay you!"

"Damnit!" The rest of the chefs exploded into the kitchen.

"Why can't you just leave without saying anything, huh? You damn bastard!"

"We're going to be so lonely without you, you stupid cook!"

"We'll all miss ya, you bastard!"

All the chefs cried.

Sanji looked at them with a big smile on his face.

"LET'S MEET AGAIN ONE DAY, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARDS!" Sanji cried with them.


	8. Chapter 8: Broken Promises

_A/N: Hey guys, as usual, a really big thank you for all the reviews! It's motivating for me to see people having an interest in what I'm writing! :D_

 _I originally wanted to finish the whole Arlong Arc in one long chapter, but that'll take another day or two, so I decided to split it into two chapters and post this one first and the next one later. (Don't kill me ;_;)_

 _Now to address the Romance portion: I'm currently creating scenarios (in my head) on what will happen in each Romance option, including having none at all and everyone, I'll see which one I like best and I'll go with that. Suggestions are welcome too! :D_

 _Once again, really big thank you to all you guys!_

 _Enjoy! :D_

* * *

"Nami-swwaaan, would you like some desserts?" Sanji pirouetted his way to the seated navigator, placing a piece of cake in front of her.

"Thank you Sanji," Nami smiled at him, causing him to spin around in happiness.

"Hey! What about me?" Usopp protested from the side.

"Shut up, I already gave you guys tea, didn't I?" Sanji pointed an accusing finger at Usopp.

"You sexist cook!" Usopp pouted.

"Shut up! Girls will always get better treatment from me!" Sanji pirouetted his way back to Nami's side again.

Meanwhile, Luffy was seated beside the bed that Zoro was resting in.

"I see what you mean by a pervert now," Luffy remarked, grinning.

"Isn't that right... Captain? Why does it have to be him out of everyone else... in the restaurant?" Zoro said in between breaths. He seemed to be in pain as he said each word, but found the strength to smirk back at him, nevertheless.

"He's a good guy Zoro, don't be too hard on him," Luffy chuckled.

"Hmph, I'll be nicer to him... if he stops showing that pathetic face to everything that doesn't have a... sausage in between their legs," Zoro huffed.

"Sausage?" Luffy asked, opening his pants to look into it.

"Never mind! Forget I said that..." Zoro groaned. "On another note… how the hell are you such close friends with Mihawk?"

Luffy brightened at the mention of the swordsman's name, "Oh! He came to Headquarters a few times throughout my training! My trainer made me spar with him a few times then we hung out after that."

"You sparred with him?!" Zoro tried to sit up but Luffy pushed him back down.

"Stop moving! Or I'm tying you to the bed!" Luffy frowned. "And yes, I sparred with him, though I never won even once. Hawky is really strong."

"You're the weirdest Marine I've ever seen..." Zoro sighed.

"Shishishi! Hawky said the same thing too!" Luffy laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Zoro sighed, "So you told him about me?"

Luffy nodded, grinning uncontrollably.

"What did you tell him?" Zoro watched Luffy carefully.

Luffy pondered for a while, scratching his chin, "I told him that you wished to meet and defeat him to claim his title of the best. I also told him you were the best swordsman on this side of the world."

Zoro's eyes widened, "What... What did he say?"

"He asked me what you were like, I told him that you weren't at his level yet but you still had the potential to catch up to him." Luffy smiled sheepishly.

Zoro just stared wide eyed at Luffy. After fighting Mihawk first hand, he knew the vast difference in strength between them and yet Luffy still saw in him the possibility of surpassing Mihawk. He gritted his teeth, remembering the embarrassing fight he had with Mihawk. He knew all the while Mihawk was only testing him and never took the fight seriously, heck he probably even went easy on him seeing how he knew Luffy from the start.

"Why… Why do you have so much faith in me?" Zoro frowned.

Luffy stared at him for a moment, not answering the question.

"Why, Luffy?" Zoro asked again, demanding an answer.

"You think too little of yourself, Zoro." Luffy grinned. "That girl you helped back then? You willingly subjected yourself to that torture to save her even if it meant you might lose your chance to attain your dream. Not many can do that unless you have the will to live through every obstacle that life throws at you to protect your dream. You are much stronger than you think."

Luffy pointed at the swordsman, "Zoro, you have the will to become the best and Mihawk saw it in you too. My Gra- Er… Trainer always said that he would have a good judge of your character just by looking at you, though my trainer never really liked him, or any of the Seven Warlords in any case, Shishishishi."

Zoro stared slack jawed at his Captain, "And you said he had given you his support on becoming an Admiral?"

"Yep!" Luffy grinned proudly. "He told me he didn't like how the government is dealing with everything nowadays and would be glad to see someone put a twist in their ruling, Marine or not."

"He's asking you to go against the World Government?!" Zoro exclaimed before suffering a coughing fit.

Luffy pushed him down on to the bed again, "No, no! Nothing of that sort, I'm still a Marine after all. He just wants someone who wouldn't blindly follow the rules, that's all. That's why he suggested me to request these things from the Fleet Admiral!" Luffy pulled out the document that his Grandpa had given him.

Zoro read it carefully, "How are you even able... to get clearance for this? All these seems so… Well… Out of your rank…"

"That… Well… I… Er… My trainers… might have pulled a few strings…" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

Zoro shook his head slowly, "Even so, I don't think **any** trainer... could have helped you get clearance for half of those things written there… And who is this Vice Admiral Garp? I've heard you mention him a couple of times…"

Luffy sucked in his cheeks and looked away, "Er… Ah… That… Haha… Well… I… I can't tell… And… Er… I don't know…" Luffy started whistling while shoving the document back into his coat with sweat dripping down his face.

Zoro shook his head at his Captain's inability to lie. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me… it doesn't really concern me anyway. I'm just glad I don't have to jump at any orders from any other Marine officer while I'm under you…" Zoro grinned.

Luffy sighed in relief.

"Anyway, sorry for embarrassing you… It must've sucked to see me get my ass handed… to me like that…" Zoro frowned.

Luffy shook his head quickly, "Not at all, I know how strong Mihawk is too, you just have to get stronger and beat him one day!"

Zoro grinned, "No complaints there."

Both of them laughed.

* * *

Zoro rested for the next few days and Luffy stayed by his side most of the time, making sure he doesn't get out of bed despite Zoro's protests. Sanji fit into the crew almost immediately with Nami there and he didn't mind that he was now a Marine either, stating that "If Nami-swan's a Marine, I'll definitely be one too!"

Nami herself didn't seem to mind his constant fawning though on a few occasions she did beat him up for trying to make advancements on her.

Zoro himself had already recovered well enough to move around but Luffy still insisted he stayed in bed and rest instead of training himself to death.

Luffy was watching over Zoro again when a knock sounded on the door as Nami entered, "Luffy? May I talk to you for a bit?"

"Sure, I'll be right back Zoro." Luffy gave a thumbs up which Zoro returned with a grin.

Luffy closed the door behind him as Nami led him to the back of their ship. Usopp was up at the crow's nest looking out for Nami's home town while Johnny and Yosaku were sparring with each other on the deck, shouting about defeating Mihawk and reclaiming Zoro's honour. A fragrant smell drifted from the kitchen suggesting Sanji hard at work again.

"Listen, Luffy. There's someone in my hometown that I owe a great deal of money to and right now, I have enough to pay him back."

"Ehhh? You owe someone money?!" Luffy gasped.

"Shut up, let me finish!" Nami smacked him on the head. "That guy's a pirate and he's not known to be the most honest one out there, so I would really appreciate it if you guys don't cause any trouble while you're there."

Nami pointedly glanced at Luffy, who raised both his hands in surrender, "I'll be a good boy."

"Good, once I settle this debt with him, I'll be finally be free from him, so please, don't screw this up for me." Nami grabbed him by the shoulders. "I don't need any more problems coming from him, please."

"How much do you owe this guy, Nami?" Luffy tilted his head.

Nami bit her lip, glancing away, hesitating, "... One hundred million berries…"

"A HUNDRED MILL-"

"SSSHH!" Nami covered Luffy's mouth with her hands. "Please, I waited too long and worked too hard to come this far, I don't want this to screw up…" Nami pleaded.

Luffy nodded dumbly before Nami removed her hand from his mouth.

"Will you become our navigator once you're done with him?" Luffy smiled.

Nami hesitated, stroking her left arm. She was going to say no, but she didn't know if she had a right to stay in her village after what she had put them through. She thought back on how her villagers had shouted at her to never return to the village after she revealed to them that she had joined their tormentors as a crew mate.

"I'll think about it…" Nami said finally, turning to walk away.

"Nami," Luffy called, stopping her. "That guy's a bad pirate right?"

Nami glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, "Erm… I guess so?"

"Then why don't we just go beat him up?" Luffy suggested innocently.

Nami gasped but shook her head quickly, "You can't fight him, Luffy... He's a fishman, he's really, really strong…"

"So? I'm really, really strong too!" Luffy grinned, flexing his arm to emphasize his point.

Nami shook her head, "No, Luffy, he's too strong. A fishman is born ten times stronger than a normal human… He's stronger than any of us… I know this because I've seen him fight. A number of Marines have already tried to arrest him in the past but he took them all out. I don't want you to be one of them too…" She bit her lip sadly.

"I didn't know you cared for us like that," Luffy grinned.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I just like you guys a little better than the others I've travelled with." She poked a finger at Luffy's forehead. "Just promise me you won't do anything rash there, I'm afraid he might do something to everyone I care about if you were to interfere…"

Luffy saw the pleading look in her eyes and nodded quickly, "But I must have your word that you would join our crew officially."

"You're really mean, you know that?" Nami smiled despite herself before turning away, not answering him. She leaned against the railing as she stared out at sea, her back towards him.

"Luffy… If… If I turn out to be a pirate in the end… Would you still want me to be part of your crew and sail with you?" Nami glanced back at Luffy hesitatingly.

"Eh? You're a pirate?" Luffy stared at Nami.

"I'm saying… What if… All these while I've been travelling with you and calling myself a Marine… Only to reveal to you that I've actually been a pirate all along?"

"But you're still a good guy right?" Luffy grinned.

Nami couldn't help but smile back, "I'm a girl, you know."

"Then you're still a good girl right?" Luffy corrected himself, grinning wider.

Nami giggled before her face became sad again, turning away from him. "Perhaps… I don't know that myself…"

' _I've hurt too many people to call myself a good person...'_

"LAND HO! Cocoyasi village in sight!" Usopp shouted from the crow's nest. There was a scampering of feet as Johnny and Yosaku rushed to the prow of the ship to see for themselves.

"Just promise me, Luffy?" Nami glared ahead at the island.

"I'll do it if you promise me to be safe," Luffy grinned.

"That much I can do," Nami grinned back at him, walking away to join the rest.

* * *

"Er… Brother Luffy… Why are we here?" Johnny trembled slightly.

"Yeah… You didn't tell us... Sister Nami's hometown... was here…" Yosaku stuttered.

"Why? What's wrong with this place?" Usopp raised an eyebrow at them.

"There's a really dangerous pirate that's living here! If he finds out that you guys are Marines, there's no telling what he would do to you!" Johnny exclaimed, waving his arms in the air.

"His crew is full of fishmen! Each of them are stronger than any human! I've heard that the captain himself single-handedly took down five Marine ships! All by himself! His crew is full of monsters!" Yosaku shook Usopp by the shoulders.

"What's that bastard doing in Nami's hometown?!" Sanji demanded, fire in his eyes.

"He took over the island as his own quite some time ago! Nami's village should be no exception," Johnny gestured towards the town in front of them.

Nami had already departed the ship alone with the bags of treasure she had accumulated and disappeared into the village. Sanji had wanted to follow her but she had smacked him across the deck with her staff, instantly shutting down all his protests.

"We should go and kick that guy's ass for her!" Sanji yelled, his foot was on the railing, preparing to jump ship.

Luffy pulled him back on to the deck, sending him sprawling on the floor.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Captain?!" Sanji demanded, grabbing Luffy by his collar.

"Shut up," Luffy pushed his hand away, his straw hat covering his eyes. "I promised Nami that we wouldn't interfere while she's on the island, so everyone's going to stay put on this ship unless I say otherwise."

Sanji's eyes widened at those words.

"But… He's… Tch... Fine! But if Nami gets hurt, I'm blaming you!" Sanji huffed, storming back to the kitchen. Luffy stayed on the now silent deck, staring hard at the village with his arms crossed.

"Luffy, are you sure it's fine like this?" Usopp asked hesitatingly, looking at the kitchen door.

Luffy glanced back at Usopp before staring back at the village again, "Usopp, bring Johnny and Yosaku to check on Zoro, and don't come out until I say so."

Usopp nodded and scurried away with the two swordsmen, seeing the look in Luffy's eyes.

' _Arlong… You better not hurt my navigator...'_ Luffy gritted his teeth.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Jinbei walked along the corridors of the Marine Headquarters, answering yet another summons from the Marines. Back then, he never liked to come here due to the all too serious atmosphere, but after Garp brought Luffy here to train, it was like the whole place had lit up from the boy's limitless energy. The boy just had a talent to worm his way into everyone's hearts._

 _Now was his third time here since Luffy's arrival and he already found himself looking forward to seeing Luffy again. Speaking of which, that person was currently clinging onto his back, being given a piggyback ride to the meeting room. Luffy had a huge grin plastered on his face, clearly enjoying the ride._

" _Jinbei! Do you think you can bring me to visit Fishman Island? I wanna see it!"_

" _I'd like to, Luffy, but your Grandpa will have my head if I drag you away from your training." Jinbei chuckled. He remembered the time he had somehow been convinced by Luffy to take him to visit Sabaody. They had barely reached the ship when a fuming Garp had showed up, screamed at a stunned Jinbei, punched Luffy on the head and dragged him, screaming, back to Marineford._

" _What about after my training? I want to see what the other fishmen are like!" Luffy grinned, unfazed._

" _Hahaha, it's a deal then, when you're a full-fledged marine, come look for me again, Luffy."Jinbei chuckled heartily._

" _All fishmen must be nice like you! Shishishi!" Luffy grinned._

 _Jinbei sighed at that, "Unfortunately, not all fishmen are like me, Luffy…"_

" _Really? Oh! Is it that Hody and Arlong you always told me about?"_

" _Those two are a few examples, especially Arlong and his crew. Hody hasn't been active lately but Arlong is a different story. From what I heard, he's been terrorizing a few villages out in East Blue on the Conomi islands for a while now. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing in releasing him…" Jinbei shook his head sadly._

" _So he's a bad guy?" Luffy asked, tilting his head._

 _Jinbei pondered that question for a while, "I wish I could answer that easily, Luffy… If I have to say, it's just that he has a twisted way of viewing things around him. It's not entirely his fault though."_

 _Luffy scratched his head, "That's so confusing…"_

 _Jinbei laughed, "Just take it this way Luffy, I wouldn't mind if you didn't like what he was doing and taught him a lesson about it."_

" _Shishishi! That, I can understand!" Luffy chuckled._

* * *

"Nojiko! I'm back!" Nami pushed open the wooden door leading to her house. Her sister was busy sorting the tangerines she just gathered into wooden crates.

"Nami! You're back!" Nojiko exclaimed, dropping the tangerines in her hands and running up to her little sister, pulling her in a tight hug.

"I'm back, sis... And I've finally done it..." Nami sobbed into Nojiko's arms.

Nojiko pulled away to stare at Nami, "You... You did?"

Nami nodded, wiping tears away from her eyes.

"But you said you needed around twenty million more? You got all that just from this trip?" Nojiko gasped.

"She did, I was surprised myself," a man wearing full black police attire walked in, his body covered with scars. A police hat rested on his head and a small pinwheel spun freely on top of it.

"Gen!" Nojiko exclaimed, surprised that he would follow Nami here.

Nami wiped the last of her tears away before punching Nojiko playfully on the arm, "you lied to me about keeping the deal secret, everyone in the village knows! The moment I told them I already have the money to free everyone, everyone was already cheering! I was expecting at least an angry mob of some sort, you know?"

"Oh, that... Well everyone wouldn't stop bugging me about why you joined the pirates until I told them the truth..." Nojiko scratched her head in embarrassment.

"Isn't it fine? It just makes the celebration afterwards even merrier! Everyone is already preparing a feast!" Gen grinned.

"What would I do without you two?" Nami sniffled, hugging the two of them.

"There, there," Nojiko patted Nami's back. "Why don't you go give that stupid pirate your good news? We'll get the money ready for you."

"I will," Nami pulled away from them, tears still dripping past her cheeks. "We'll finally be free."

"Oh, right. Nami, what about the Marine boat anchored just outside our town?" Gen asked.

"Marines?" Nojiko gasped.

"They're my friends," Nami smiled, shocking the two. "They helped me gather the rest of the money this time. If it weren't for them, I might still not have enough... In fact, had you guys not accepted me back after I bought the village from Arlong, I would have left with them to join as a Marine."

"Then we better go thank them, then!" Gen smiled, dashing back to the village.

"So you're going to be a Marine?" Nojiko watched Nami carefully.

"I don't know... The Captain offered and I can't say I'm not tempted to. They're all really nice people." Nami smiled.

Nojiko just shook her head, smiling, "Well, one thing at a time then, get yourself to Arlong first, then we'll throw a celebration right after that."

Nami nodded before sprinting out of the hut, running faster than she ever had before.

* * *

"HEY!" A voice shouted towards Luffy.

Luffy looked down to see a small rowboat heading towards them with a heavily scarred man waving at him. There was a small pinwheel on top of the hat he wore which Luffy couldn't help but smile at.

"I heard you guys helped Nami out! Can I come up?"

Luffy's grin widened and threw him a rope, pulling him up onto the ship.

"Thanks, I'm Gen, I guess you can see me as Nami's godfather. I'm the mayor of this village." Gen stuck out his hand and Luffy shook it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines. Nami sailed with us for awhile." Luffy grinned.

"I heard, she told me you helped her get the money she needed to pay off Arlong for the village?" Gen smiled.

"Pay off the village?" Luffy tilted his head questioningly. "She only told me that she was in debt with him, nothing about paying off a village…"

"Ah… I see she didn't tell you the whole story… You see, Arlo-"

"Hey, Luffy, who's this?" Sanji walked out from the kitchen, gesturing at Gen.

"Sanji, good timing, go get the rest to come out here," Luffy jerked his chin towards the men's room, ignoring Sanji's question.

"Tch, do I have to?" Sanji groaned, turning back to get the other guys.

Luffy turned back to Gen, "Before that Gen, I would like to ask one thing. What has the Marines in charge of this place done about Arlong?"

"Ah… Well, there were a few attempts to arrest him, but all of them ended in failure when their ships couldn't even reach the shore. The fishmen would just swim out to their ships and sink it without giving them a fighting chance." Gen sighed. "We do see a specific Marine ship from the sixteenth branch from time to time, but they never seem to engage the pirates."

"I see…" Luffy scratched his chin just as Sanji returned with everyone, even Zoro.

"Zoro, are you sure you should be moving around?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine already, quit worrying about me," Zoro waved his hand.

Luffy shrugged, "Anyway, guys, this is Gen, he's Nami's father."

"Godfather," Gen corrected. "And I thank you Marines for taking care of her while she's out there. You have no idea how much she has to suffer for the sake of everyone in the village for the last eight years…"

"You said something about Nami buying this village?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms.

Gen nodded slowly, "Eight years ago, Arlong had taken over our island and everyone suffered because of him. He would kill and torture us at the slightest fault he finds with us, sometimes just for having the audacity to exist alongside him. Not to mention the fees that we have to pay him every month ensures we would always be barely able to scrape by. Nami's mother had been killed by him when they first came here, trying to protect Nami and her sister from them."

"THAT BASTARD! HOW DARE HE?" Sanji cried before Luffy smacked him on the head, asking Gen to continue.

"Nami had went ahead and sought out Arlong to make a deal with him: if she was able to pay him a hundred million berries in a single payment, he would leave the village and her alone. But there was also the condition that she joins his crew to draw maps for him while she's still collecting the money, and if she dared to try to escape, Arlong will slaughter the whole village."

"And she finally did it today?" Usopp asked hopefully.

"Yes, and she has you guys to thank for it, she said if it weren't for you guys, she might have needed even more time to get that amount of money. For that, we all thank you, and all of you are welcome to join the feast that we are preparing!" Gen gestured to the crowd of villagers waving at them at the harbour.

"I hope you guys have booze," Zoro grinned.

"I want meat!" Luffy punched his hands in the air.

"Heh, not bad to have someone cook for me for a change," Sanji smirked.

"Let's go then!" Usopp yelled in victory.

"We're really grateful!" Both Yosaku and Johnny cried.

* * *

Nami stood defiantly at the iron gates of Arlong Park, glaring at it. She clenched her fists, she had no reason to be afraid of this place anymore, today was the day she would free her village and herself from the fishmen's influence.

She shoved open the door and walked in proudly, her head held high.

"Oh! Nami's back!"

"Welcome back Nami!"

"So who did you betray this time?"

"How much money did you get? Was it worth backstabbing them?

"As expected of our cold-hearted Nami!"

All the fishmen cheered as she entered the pirates' base. It seemed as though all of them were in the midst of celebrating something before she entered the park.

She said nothing as she headed straight for her target, the one sitting arrogantly on his small throne as though he owned everything around around him. She gritted her teeth as he stared at her, but she refused to look away from him. Tomorrow, no, today, he will disappear from her life.

"Welcome back Nami," He smiled wickedly, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The sawshark fishman laid back on his throne, his hawaiian shirt unbuttoned to reveal his muscled chest, as if to dare anyone to challenge him in strength.

"Arlong," She breathed. "I'm back. I hope you didn't kill anyone while I was gone?"

"Of course not, Nami. You returned on time after all, I wouldn't dream of angering my precious little cartographer," Arlong sneered. "But why the hostility, Nami? Aren't we all crew mates here?"

Nami ignored his question, "You still remember the promise you made to me eight years ago, right?"

Arlong snickered, "Of course, of course, how can I ever forget, my precious Nami? Bring me one hundred million berries and you and your village will be free from me."

Nami smirked at his arrogance, he didn't know she already had it. "Good, then relinquish your control over Cocoyasi village, I have your hundred million."

Arlong's smirk dissolved into a frown almost immediately, "You said that you had another twenty million to go the last time. you're telling me you managed to get all that in just a single trip?"

"Yep, I had an overwhelmingly good haul this time, anyway, come collect it when you can, I'll be waiting for you," Nami grinned, twirling around and walking back out of the Park without a single glance back. All the while, she could feel Arlong glaring into her back, but she didn't turn back even then.

When she was finally out of sight from the park, she let herself collapse on to the floor, her whole body was shaking. She had done it, after eight long years of sweat and blood, she had finally done it. Now all she had to do was to prepare all the money and present it to him, then she can finally be free. Everyone in her village could be free.

Nami slowly got up from the ground and made a dash back home.

* * *

The celebration was still in its preparation phase when Nami reached the village. Everyone cheered and cried for her the moment she came into sight.

She received everyone's congratulations before pulling away to head back to her home.

"Nami! You better be here for the party! We can't start without you and Nojiko!" Gen shouted after her.

"I will! You can count on it!" Nami waved back.

Gen couldn't help but smile after her, it was the first time in eight years since he saw her smile like that.

"Hey Gen! I'm all done with the preparations here," Sanji approached, wearing an apron and carrying a wooden ladle in his hand.

"Thanks, sorry for having you guys help out even though you're guests." Gen scratched the back of his head.

"Don't sweat it, we don't mind at all. Well, other than that stupid marimo over there," Sanji gestured to the napping Zoro under the tree.

"It's alright, he's injured isn't he? We still have quite some time to prepare, knowing how Arlong is like." Gen scowled at the name.

"He's not going to go back on his word is he?" Usopp asked from the roof of a nearby building, helping the villagers tie up decorations on the roofs.

"Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but as ironic as this sounds, the only thing you can trust him to be honest about is money." Gen spat. "The only thing he can do now is to take the money and leave us alone."

"He'd better, if he dares to waste Nami's efforts, I'll go kick his ass!" Sanji shook his fist in the direction of Arlong Park.

"Speaking of which, where's your Captain?" Gen looked around, not seeing Luffy.

Sanji jerked his thumb to their ship, "He's reporting back to HQ, not sure about what though. Speaking of which, I'm surprised Arlong hasn't sent someone to investigate our ship..."

"Oh, don't worry about that, his patrols are usually further inland, they usually don't come into our village unless they have to." Gen grinned.

A small commotion came from the harbour and everyone turned to see a Marine ship docking.

"Marines? Are they here to arrest Arlong?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"The sixteenth branch," Gen narrowed his eyes. "Why are they here now?"

A company of marines departed from the ship, all armed to the teeth.

A man wearing a greyish blue button up coat stepped out in front of Gen. Had had whiskers on his face and the Marine cap he wore had mouse ears attached to the top of it.

A permanent smirk was plastered on his face, "I'm looking for Nami, where is she?"

"What's your business with her?" Gen crossed his arms.

"Chichichi, Marine business, you don't need to know. Just bring me to her." The marine demanded.

Sanji stepped out in front of Gen, biting down on his cigarette, "I'm a Marine too, and I'm demanding to know what your business with her is."

The man raised an eyebrow at Sanji, looking at him carefully, "I'm Captain Nezumi of the Marines' sixteenth branch, I'm here on reports of criminal activity. You don't seem to have any Marine insignia on you... You do know that it's a crime to impersonate as a Marine right?"

"I'm not officially one, not yet," Sanji clucked his tongue.

Nezumi smirked, "Then you're not a Marine. I'll overlook this, just this once. Now bring me to the girl."

"Follow me then," Gen sighed, leading the way to Nami's house.

"You think they're here to arrest Arlong?" Usopp slipped beside Sanji, watching the departing Marines.

"I don't know, even if they are, they don't stand a chance against fishmen…" Sanji puffed his cigarette.

* * *

Nami sat on the porch with Nojiko, the hundred million berries all bagged up inside the house, waiting for Arlong.

"I can't actually believe I did it," Nami smiled sheepishly.

Nojiko smiled as she pulled her sister into a hug, "You better believe it… You worked so hard for us."

"I know," Nami smiled. "It's just that it took so long, I never actually thought I can do it."

"We're finally free," Nojiko smiled. "You don't have to hide your feelings anymore."

Footsteps echoed down the path leading to the village, Nami wiped away her tears and stood up to face the visitors, expecting to see Arlong and his crew.

Instead, Gen came into view accompanied by a couple of Marines marching behind him.

"Gen? Who are these Marines?" Nojiko stepped in front of Nami.

Before Gen could reply, Nezumi stepped out, silencing him with a swipe of his arm, "I'm Captain Nezumi of the sixteenth branch, I'm here on reports of criminal activity."

"Criminal activity?" Nojiko echoed.

Nezumi's smirk got wider, "Indeed, I heard there was a thief in this village that stole quite a sum of money. I'm here to deal with that."

"You can't be serious!" Gen shouted at the Captain.

Nezumi frowned at Gen, "A mere villager dares to shout at a Marine Captain? Do you want me to arrest you for that?"

"Stop it!" Nami clenched her fist. "If you must know, I'm part of Arlong's crew, someone like you should know what will happen if you mess with me…"

"Chichichi, you're part of his crew? Never heard anything about that," Nezumi grinned wickedly. "I'm only here because I heard reports about your thievery, nothing else."

Nezumi adjusted his cap as a shadow fell over his eyes, "But since you stole from pirates, I decided I won't be pressing any charges against you, provided you hand over the stolen goods. After all, stolen items should be handed over to the government so that we can return them to their rightful owners."

"You bastard! Arlong has been terrorizing this island for years and you only care about some petty thievery? What kind of Marines are you?!" Nojiko yelled at him.

"Chichichi, don't you shout at me, little girl, or I'll have to arrest you as well. Men! Search the house!"

"Don't you dare!" Nami stood in front of her house, staff already in hand.

"Now, now, little girl. If you just hand over the one hundred million berries you've stolen, no one will need to get hurt." Nezumi smirked.

"How do you know she has that much?!" Gen demanded.

"Oh? Well… Chichichi, I just assumed she had that much," Nezumi grinned.

"No.. No, no, no... WAS THIS ARLONG'S IDEA?!" Nami yelled.

"Chichichi, now, now. I wouldn't say that, it's our duty as Marines to persecute thieves after all." Nezumi smirked at them.

"YOU CORRUPT BASTARDS!" Gen's face was contorted with rage.

"What kind of Marines are you!? Letting a pirate order you around?!" Nojiko had her fists clenched so hard, her knuckles had turned white.

"Tch, men! Restrain them, they're interfering with the search." Nezumi waved at the them.

Immediately, the marines swarmed them and tied their hands and feet, pushing them onto the ground with rifles pointed at them.

"YOU BASTARDS! DON'T YOU DARE!" Nami yelled after the Marines that kicked down the door to her house.

"Sir! I found suspicious looking bags!" a marine shouted over his shoulder.

"Excellent, bring them all out, we're confiscating them." Nezumi grinned.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Gen yelled, trying to get up.

"Shut up!" A Marine shouted, hitting Gen across the face with the butt of his rifle.

"Chichichichi! Men! We got what we came for, let's go!" Nezumi smirked, turning away from the three kneeling villagers.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Nami yelled after him, trying to free herself from the ropes to no avail, the Marines only got further and further away.

Nami let her tears flow freely as she collapsed on to the ground, biting her lips so hard that she drew blood.

"Nami…" Nojiko cried.

"I'll never forgive Arlong…" Gen gritted his teeth.

"Oh, what happened here?" a mocking voice came from behind them.

All three turned to see the smirking figure of Arlong.

"YOU BASTARD!" Nami yelled at him, trying her best to wrestle her way out of her restraints. "YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!"

"Shahahaha! Tell me, my little cartographer, when have I broken my promise to you?" Arlong laughed wickedly.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME! YOU ORDERED THOSE MARINES TO-" Arlong picked her up by her neck and glared at her.

"Tell me, Nami. When **exactly** have I broken my promise?" Arlong sneered, showing her the rows of sharp teeth in his mouth.

"Let go of her you bastard!" Gen struggled on the ground.

"I came here when you told me you have the money ready like I promised, but if the Marines came first and took the money before I could, then it doesn't mean squat if you had it before." Arlong grinned.

Arlong tossed Nami back on the ground, "Besides, it's only a hundred million berries, you just have to save up again." Nojiko tried to help Nami and Gen just glared hard at Arlong while still on the ground.

"In the meantime, continue working for me as my cartographer, Nami! Shahahaha! And if you dare to consider running away, I'll destroy your entire village!" Arlong turned and walked away, not even taking a glance back.

Nami's tears flowed freely pass her cheeks as she stayed prone on the ground. Gen glared hard in the direction Arlong had left, brows furrowed in rage. Nojiko had tears running down her cheeks as well, gritting her teeth so hard that her whole body was shaking with barely controlled anger.

"Gen, Nami, Nojiko! What happened?!" The three turned to see most of the villagers running up to them. They quickly freed the three from their restraints and stepped back as Gen stood with shaking limbs. Nojiko was trying her best to console the sobbing Nami.

"Everyone… We've been living in fear of Arlong for the past eight years… Every single day was torture to us, but Nami herself had sacrificed so much so that she can save us. We swore that as long as Nami fought for us, we would survive for her sake no matter what. Today was the day that we should have been free." Gen stared at all the villagers, hate clear in his eyes.

"Arlong broke his promise to us, the Marines from before had stolen all the money. With our chance of liberation gone, there is no longer hope for this island! We shall never forgive those fishmen who dared to toy with the kindness of a girl! Much less our Nami!"

All the villagers yelled in agreement, staring back at Gen with the same hatred in their eyes.

"ARM YOURSELVES MY FRIENDS! TODAY WE GO TO WAR!" Gen punched his hand in the air which the villagers returned with a yell.

"NO! Please, everyone stop!" Nami cried, standing up beside Nojiko.

She tried her best to smile with tears still streaming past her cheeks. "I'll just have to raise up the money again! You don't have to fight him! I… I have friends that can help me this time, it'll be easier than before!"

"Nami…" Nojiko cried, her hands covering her mouth.

Gen pulled Nami into a hug, "It's alright Nami, you've fought alone for us long enough. We all know working for them must have been more painful than anything else. You've fought well."

"Gen…" Nami teared.

"You don't have to stay here anymore, you can leave us now." Gen pushed Nami away gently.

"No… No!" Nami stepped back from them, pulling out a knife. "Please… Everyone, I don't want to see any of you hurt…" Nami cried, hands shaking.

"You'll die, you know?" Tears streamed freely down Nami's cheeks.

"We know," Gen stepped up to Nami, grasping the knife blade in his hands.

Nami faltered as the Gen pulled the knife away from her with a hard face, not even flinching as the knife cut into his hand. He dropped the already bloodied knife on the ground, blood flowing down his hand.

"It's alright, Nami! Our hearts are set!" one of the villagers yelled.

"TO ARMS MY FRIENDS!" Gen lead the way back to the village for everyone to pick up their weapons, the villagers following him with determined faces.

Nami collapsed on the floor, staring at the knife in front of her. The face of Arlong laughing at her came into her mind.

"ARLONG!" She cried, glaring at the tattoo that identified her as one of his crew on her left shoulder.

She picked up the knife without hesitation and stabbed down on the tattoo on her shoulder repeatedly, knowing the villagers were only marching to their deaths.

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from stabbing her arm anymore than she already had. She glanced up, her face marred with tears at her Captain. He stood there, his face impassive, his Marine coat fluttering in the wind.

"Have you come to arrest me too?" She cried at him. "If it weren't for you blasted Marines, this wouldn't have happened!"

She started clawing at the ground, throwing handfuls of dirt at him. "If it weren't for you! If it weren't for you! If it weren't for you… I could have never gotten that hundred million…"

She stopped throwing the dirt, resorting to crying into her hand.

"Luffy…" Nami cried, Luffy stared at her back impassively.

"Help me…" She glanced back at him, her face full of tears.

He took off his straw hat and placed it on top of her head, "Take care of that for me."

He stepped away from her, looking up at the sky and took a deep breath.

"ARLOOONG!" Luffy yelled, his eyes burning with rage.

He spun towards the rest of his crew plus Johnny and Yosaku, the word 'Justice' on his cloak prominently displayed towards Nami.

"Let's go," Luffy said simply.

"About time," the others agreed.

Luffy fished out his den den mushi and connected to Headquarters.

"Headquarters, Captain Monkey D. Luffy speaking, cancel the reinforcements I asked for. I'm beating Arlong down myself."

Luffy hung up the call without waiting for a reply, marching forward to Arlong Park with the others in tow.

* * *

All six of them reached the gate, just as the villagers were trying to come up with a way to break down the locked gate.

"Johnny, Yosaku," Luffy called out to the two bounty hunters. "Protect the villagers."

They nodded, "Leave it to us, Brother Luffy!"

"Gen," Luffy stepped up to the villagers, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, it's you Marines…" Gen had a hard time restraining himself from yelling at them. He reminded himself that these weren't the same Marines that took Nami's money, the villagers didn't think the same way though.

"You damn marines! It's because of you that Nami's in this state!"

"Get out of our sight!"

"Damn hypocrites!"

"Relax, we're here for Nami as well," Sanji dropped his cigarette and extinguished it with his heel.

"Nami's our friend too," Usopp thumped his chest.

"I'm just here to cut up some pirates," Zoro grinned.

Luffy stepped towards the towering iron gates, furrowing his brows at the sign overhead that read "Arlong Park".

Luffy punched at the door, instantly breaking it off its hinges and sending it crashing into the park with minimal effort.

"ARLONG! I'VE COME FOR YOU!"


	9. Chapter 9: Free at Last

_A/N: Hi, hi! As promised here's the second part of Arlong's arc! Again, really big thank you to everyone reading this story, I admit I'm having a lot of fun writing it and I really appreciate all the reviews you guys are giving me :D_

 _So for the romance part, I decided to leave it out of this one except for maybe some bold advancements from Hancock but nothing more than that. Although, if I have the time and motivation, I may just write another story that would run concurrently with this one which would delve deeply *hint* *hint* into Luffy's romance life, though it's up to you to decide if it's canon to this story. Sort of like a fanfiction of my fanfiction? If there's such a thing :P_

 _As usual, enjoy! :D_

* * *

"ARLONG! I'VE COME FOR YOU!"

Every fishman that was present turned to regard the newcomer, not even slightly concerned that he had punched open the iron gates with his bare hands.

Luffy glanced around the park, watching every fishman carefully.

"What's this, the villagers are rebelling?" One of the fishman noticed the weapons the villagers were carrying.

Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, not taking a step back despite all the fishmen glaring at them. They knew what they came here for and they already decided they would see it through, whether they live or die.

Luffy took a step into the park, crossing his arms underneath his Marine cloak.

"Which one of you is Arlong?" Luffy asked with an impassive face.

"That would be me, what do you want?" Arlong raised his hand from his throne, watching the boy.

"I'm Captain Monkey D. Luffy, a Marine."

"Marine? What does a Marine Captain like yourself want with me? Are you looking to do business with me?" Arlong smirked.

"In fact, I do, there's a matter of business I wanted to settle with you."

Luffy let his arms fall to his side as he started walking towards him, ignoring the stares of every fishmen. The villagers held their breaths as Luffy got closer and closer to Arlong.

"Hey, hey," two fishmen stepped in front of Luffy, both of them towering over him. "Just because you're a Marine Captain doesn't mean you can walk like you own the place."

"Yeah, there are formalities to go through, you know?" One of the fishman smirked, reaching out to stop him.

Luffy didn't stop, his eyes focused only on Arlong.

"Oi! Did you hear me you damn Marine?" The fishman grabbed Luffy's right arm.

Luffy narrowed his eyes, pulling his arm out of the fishman's grasp and backhanding him into the wall, smashing him through it.

"You!" The other fishman reached for his sword.

Luffy turned and clenched his right fist, punching the fishman in his guts, sending him flying towards the sea out of the Park.

All the fishmen and villagers were staring at the spectacle with wide eyes, not believing that a human had just sent two fishmen flying as though it was nothing.

Luffy straightened, letting his Marine cloak settling before walking towards Arlong again.

Arlong glared at him, "What's that business you wanted, Marine?"

Luffy stood still in front of Arlong, his face deceptively calm. "You made Nami cry," Luffy stated simply.

"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed, smacking his knee at the boy's simple-mindedness.

Arlong stood from his throne, easily towering over the Marine, cracking his knuckles slowly.

"So?" Arlong asked simply, glaring down at the Marine.

"I'm going to make you pay," Luffy stated simply, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The whole park erupted into laughter with Arlong laughing the loudest. "You think just because you can beat two of my crew members, you can beat me?"

Arlong clenched his fist, "You're just a human!" He punched towards the Marine.

" **Tekai** "

Luffy held up his left arm and blocked the attack without flinching. He furrowed his brows and dropped low, his face already contorted with rage. With a yell, he punched towards Arlong's abdomen, sending him flying towards the wall on the other end of the Park, smashing Arlong and throwing up a cloud of dust.

"ARLONG!" the pirates shouted after their captain.

The dust cleared to reveal a very much alive and pissed off Arlong sitting among the debris.

"You brat…" Arlong spat as he stood up from the remains of the wall.

"Don't you dare make my navigator cry," Luffy glared.

"You bastard!"

"Kill that Marine!"

The fishmen drew their weapons and charged at Luffy.

"Don't touch my Captain!" Zoro rushed to Luffy's side, unsheathing his single remaining sword and cutting down the fishmen with ease.

"Small fries should just get out of our way!" Sanji jumped out, kicking the fishmen into the water with absolute precision.

"You're all in my sights," Usopp pulled back his slingshot and released a torrent of his specially crafted exploding bullets at the fishmen, sending them flying back.

"Tch, save some fun for us will you, Luffy?" Sanji grinned, tapping his foot on the ground.

"These are just small fries, barely even a warm up," Zoro flicked his sword at the fishmen.

"To become the greatest warrior of the sea, I have to conquer fishmen too..." Usopp gripped his slingshot tightly, eyeing the fishmen despite the fact his legs were still shaking.

"Arlong is mine, you can have the rest," Luffy's glare never left Arlong.

The villagers stared at the Marines in awe, "Who… Who are they?"

"They're fighting the fishmen like it's nothing…"

"They're not like the Marines that came before…"

Johnny and Yosaku grinned at the spectacle, already witnessing their strength first hand before.

"This is what true upholders of Justice look like," Johnny said proudly.

"Burn their backs into your minds people, if they cannot beat Arlong, then East Blue has no more hope." Yosaku grinned.

"Why are they going so far?" Gen clenched his fists.

Yosaku turned to Gen, "Nami is our friend, and Arlong made her cry."

Johnny's grin widened, "Isn't that already a good enough reason to go all out?"

Usopp stepped forward with shaking legs, "We are the Marines! All of you are... Are under arrest! Sur... Surrender quietly!"

The fishmen laughed at Usopp.

"Hey, hey, is he for real?"

"They really think they can beat us?"

"Look at the long nose! He's shaking in fear!"

"Silly humans!"

Usopp gritted his teeth, willing his shaking to stop. Luffy rested his hand on Usopp's shoulder reassuringly, "that was brave of you Usopp."

Usopp smiled sheepishly as Luffy turned back to the fishmen, "This is Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines! Surrender or we will KICK YOUR ASS!" he punched his fist together to emphasize his point.

The laughing stopped when the fishmen realized they were serious.

"Nyu, don't get so full of yourselves!" An octopus fishman waved his six arms at them angrily. "All of you won't even last a minute!"

He closed his hand around his elongated mouth and blew a high pitched trumpet sound. "Come out Mohmoo! Teach these humans a lesson!"

A large wave rose from the sea and sped towards the Park with terrifying speed. The wave rushed past the open water gates and into the pool, exploding outwards to reveal a sea monster with a cow's head, bellowing at the humans.

"A monster!" Usopp exclaimed, legs shaking again.

"Huh, a monster brought from the Grand Line," Sanji glanced at the monster with disinterest.

"It's a cow," Zoro said simply.

"Crush them, Mohmoo!" The fishmen shouted.

"I'll take him," Luffy cracked his knuckles as the Sea Cow lunged towards them.

Luffy jumped in to the air, grabbing the Sea Cow by one of his cow horns with one hand and lifting him out of the water and into the air.

"HE LIFTED THE SEA COW!" The villagers had their eyes popping out of their heads.

Luffy furrowed his brows, twisting mid-air to hold the airborne Sea Cow over his shoulder, "I didn't come here to fight you weaklings!"

He tossed the Sea Cow straight into the throng of fishmen, smashing through their ranks like bowling pins. The Sea cow smashed through the walls of the Park, through the trees and ended up back into the sea on the other side, carrying any fishmen unfortunate enough to be in his way with him.

Luffy landed back on land with fire in his eyes, "I came here to beat YOU!" Luffy pointed his finger at the frowning Arlong.

"Filthy Marine, I'll kill you," Arlong gritted his teeth with seething rage.

"Relax Arlong, we'll handle these guys," a fishman stepped out from the debris left by Mohmoo.

Three fishmen stood in front of the Straw Hats, the officers and strongest members of Arlong's crew.

The first one had blue skin and thick lips, smirking at the Marines as though he was laughing at a secret joke. The second was the octopus fishman, his hair was styled into five spikes standing up in the air and his six arms had suckers along each of them. The last one had greyish skin wearing the dark blue gi of a martial artist with a black belt tied across his waist, his most notable feature was the fins that extended from the top of his arms all the way to his elbows.

"Chew, Hachi, Kuroobi," Arlong called out to them, sitting back down on his throne. The three turned to see Arlong giving them a thumbs down while smirking. "Kill them all."

"You got it boss," Kuroobi grinned wickedly, stretching his neck left and right.

"Just sit tight, Arlong, or else you'll just destroy the whole island," Chew smirked with his thick lips.

"Nyu, I'll end this fast!" Hachi drew out six swords from behind his back with his six arms.

"Johnny! Yosaku! Lend me your swords!" Zoro shouted without taking his eyes off Hachi.

"You got it brother Zoro!" both of them unsheathed their blades and threw it towards Zoro, both blades stabbing the ground to his left and right.

"You, octopus, you're opponent is me," Zoro grinned, tying his bandana on his head.

"Nyu! So you're Roronoa Zoro! I'll show you the superiority of my six swords style to your three swords!" Hachi lowered himself into a stance.

"Shut it octopus," Zoro drew out the two swords in the ground. "Let your swords do the talking."

"Nyuuu! Take this! **Shikai Zero: Takohachi Black**!" Hachi spit out a blast of black ink at Zoro.

Zoro nimbly sidestepped the ink, "Tch, fight me with your sword, not your spit you damn octopus!"

With the two swords in his hands stretched by his sides, he charged towards Hachi.

"Don't underestimate me! I'll show you the power of my six swords! **Takoashi Kiken**!"

Hachi charged at Zoro, swinging his swords in wild arcs at him.

Zoro narrowed his eyes as he deflected two swords away with his left hand before ducking under another right slash. Hachi frowned as he spun around and slash all three swords on his left hand at him.

Zoro gritted his teeth as he raised both swords in his hands to block the slash coming from his left before jumping up and delivering a spinning kick to Hachi's head.

Hachi had saw it coming and stepped back from the kick, not noticing the blade in Zoro's mouth that came from below, slashing him across the chest.

"Tell me how your six swords is superior to mine now?" Zoro landed on the ground with a smirk.

Hachi growled as he inspected the cut with his hand, frowning, "You won't get away with this! **Takotsubo no Kamae**!"

Hachi held all six swords pointed in front of him in a circle, charging at Zoro with the tips of his sword pointed at him.

Zoro raised both of his swords to block the charge but Hachi had wanted him to do just that.

" **Taikai!** " Hachi flung all of his six swords apart, opening Zoro's arms wide.

"You!" Zoro gasped before Hachi slammed into him with his whole body, sending him sprawling on to the floor.

"Brother Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku cried.

"Not good… He's still not fully healed after that duel with Mihawk…" Sanji cursed under his breath.

Zoro spat out the blood in his mouth as Hachi hopped left and right, his swords held by his sides. "Can't you see? It's logical for six swords to win against three! You don't stand a chance!"

"Logical? There's nothing logical when it comes to a fight," Zoro spat, facing Hachi again.

" _Surpass me, Roronoa!"_

"If I want to defeat that guy, I'll have to throw away logical thinking," Zoro ripped off the bandages that were tied around his chest, revealing the cuts he received from Mihawk that had just reopened. Everyone around gasped at the size of the wound, even Hachi seemed unnerved that Zoro could still fight with that.

"That idiot..." Sanji face-palmed.

"These wounds would disable any normal man... In order to become the strongest, I cannot be normal!" Zoro gripped his swords, charging towards Hachi again.

"Nyu, I'll admit you are strong, but you're still not strong enough to defeat me!" Hachi settled into his stance again.

" **Takotsubo no Kamae!** "

"You think I'll fall of the same trick twice?!" Zoro leaped into the air and slashed his right sword downwards at Hachi.

"Don't look down on me!" Hacchi slashed towards Zoro while he was still in the air, deflecting his sword away and sending him spinning upwards.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed as he was flung into the air.

"I won't give you a chance to recover! **Rokutoryu Ogi: Rokuto no Waltz!** "

Hachi spun all his six blades in the air, forming a windmill of blades directly underneath Zoro. "Fall on this and you'll be mincemeat!"

Everyone gaped as Zoro rolled on top of the spinning blades, slashing out with his swords and landing on the ground relatively unharmed.

"Nyuuuu! You cut my hands!" Hachi screamed, dropping his swords. "How is this possible? You're only using three swords!"

"The weight of my swords is heavier than yours," Zoro said simply.

Hachi picked up his swords with his bleeding hands, glaring at Zoro, "Impossible! Each of my swords are three hundred kilograms! There's no way your swords are heavier than mine!"

"You fool…" Zoro turned to face Hachi.

" _You had the potential to catch up to him."_

" _You are much stronger than you think."_

"It's not the literal weight of my swords you stupid octopus, it's the burden I carry with them." Zoro pointed his right sword at Hachi, infuriating him.

" _I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!"_

Zoro closed his eyes, "Your blades may be heavier, but it will still crumple under the force of my will."

"Nyu! We'll see about that! **Takotsubo no Kamae!** " Hachi charged towards Zoro again, swinging his swords wildly.

" **Oni Giri!** "

Zoro used his signature three sword slash at the six swords in Hachi's hands. Hachi smirked as he tried to fling Zoro's swords away again, only to see all of his swords shatter into pieces.

"What?" Hachi stared at Zoro, dumbstruck.

"Do you get it now, you stupid octopus?" Zoro glared.

"Nyu! I still won't lose! **Takoyaki Punch!** "

"You never learn do you?" Zoro leaped back, dodging all of Hachi's punches.

" **Tatsu Maki!** " Zoro slashed the two swords in his hands, creating a miniature tornado that slashed at Hachi and flung him away from the Park.

"Hachi!" the two remaining pirate officers shouted after the octopus, watching helplessly as he flew out of sight.

Zoro sheathed his swords, walking back to his group.

"You dare turn your back on us?" Kuroobi raised his arm to strike at Zoro's back.

Sanji wasted no time in sprinting forward and delivering a kick towards the fishman's torso, sending him skidding backwards.

"He's all yours," Zoro grinned, not even slowing down his stride as he sat down near the others. Sanji tapped his foot impatiently as Kuroobi regained his balance, glaring at him.

"I'm a level forty Fishman Karate practitioner, you think your puny human strength can stand up against me?"

"A fish shouldn't be talking back to the cook," Sanji grinned. "Just shut up and let me fry you."

"It seems I'm being underestimated," Kuroobi settled into his karate stance. "I am enough to take care of all of you."

"Enough talking fish, I'll show you how a cook fights," Sanji stuck his hands in his pockets.

Kuroobi raised any eyebrow, "A cook? What kind of fighting style would that be? Are you going to throw food at me?"

"I won't waste food on a shitty fish like you," Sanji smirked.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face," Kuroobi lifted up his palm.

"I'd like to see you try—"

" **Hyakumaigawara Seiken!** "

Kuroobi punched Sanji in his abdomen, sending him flying back, crashing through the wall.

"Sanji!" Usopp and Luffy shouted after him.

"That stupid cook, letting his guard down…" Zoro grimaced, staing at the hole Sanji had left on the wall.

"Hahaha! So it was all talk and no show, some cook he was!" Kuroobi laughed.

"Indeed, we should just finish up here," Chew nodded. "First, let's crush this little rebellion these villagers have stirred up."

" **Exploding Star!** " Usopp shot his explosive bullet which Chew barely had time to shield himself against with his hands.

"You damn long nosed freak…" Chew spat.

"Do… Don't hurt the villagers!" Usopp shouted at him.

"You're just a weak human, what can you do?" Chew mocked, advancing towards Usopp.

"I am not weak! I'm a great warrior of the seas!" Usopp pulled back his slingshot again.

" **Flame Star!** "

Chew's eyes widened as the ball exploded into a pillar of flame heading straight for him. He rolled to the side, barely avoiding the fire as it singed past his hair.

"You'll pay for that!" Chew shouted at Usopp.

" **Exploding Star!** " Usopp shouted again, but Kuroobi stepped in front of Chew, shielding the explosion with his fins.

"There's two of us you know," Kuroobi smirked, before sprinting towards him.

"Usopp!" Zoro cried, knowing he won't reach in time.

Luffy grinned as he felt a familiar presence already leaping towards Kuroobi.

" **Collier Shoot!** "

Sanji kicked towards Kuroobi's neck, smashing him into the building near Arlong.

"Don't forget we're not alone either," Sanji smirked, though there was blood running down his forehead.

"Tch, trying to act cool," Zoro grinned, sitting back down again.

"Tha… Thanks Sanji," Usopp finally got his legs to stop shaking.

"You insolent humans…" Kuroobi stepped out from the debris. "To think that you can survive a punch from me…"

"Heh, your punch was weak you shitty fish. I endured kicks from someone way stronger than you." Sanji stepped in front of Usopp.

"Tch, let's do this, Chew," Kuroobi gritted his teeth.

"Right with you," Chew grinned.

" **Mizudeppo!** " Chew spat a shot of water from his mouth, targeting Usopp.

" **Lead Star!** " Usopp shot back a lead ball at Chew. The two projectiles collided in between, deflecting each other off course.

" **Hyakumaigawara Seiken!** " Kuroobi punched towards Sanji again.

Sanji sidestepped the blow, twisting and raising his leg.

" **Collier!** "

Sanji kicked towards Kurrobi's neck, knocking him backwards.

"You…" Kuroobi started.

" **Epaule!** "

Sanji kicked his upraised leg downwards on Kuroobi's shoulder, smashing him into the ground.

As Kuroobi's body bounced up from the impact, Sanji got down on ONE hand and spun his leg towards Kuroobi's torso.

" **Cotelette!** "

Sanji spun on the same hand in the other direction, kicking his leg upwards just as Kuroobi stumbled backwards.

" **Selle!** "

Kuroobi made a blind grab for Sanji, who easily rolled away from his range. Standing up from the roll, Sanji twisted around and kicked towards Kuroobi's chest.

" **Poitrine!** "

Landing the foot he just used to kick as the pivot, Sanji immediately struck out his other leg towards Kuroobi's ankle.

" **Gigot!** "

Kuroobi groaned as he fell on his knee, hands grasping his chest as he coughed up blood.

"You damn, human… I'll make you—"

"And finally… **Mutton Shot!** " Sanji aimed a straight kick towards Kuroobi's face, kicking him through the building again. This time, Kuroobi stayed down.

"Kuroobi!" Chew turned in an attempt to help his fellow fishman.

"Where do you think you're looking at?" Usopp grinned.

Chew turned back in time just to see Usopp tossing a bottle at him. He caught the bottle out of reflex before the bottle shattered abruptly in his hands, spewing its contents all over him.

"Urgh... is this... Alcohol?" Chew spat out.

"And did you know, alcohol is flammable?" Usopp grinned, pulling back his slingshot.

Chew looked up just in time to see Usopp releasing his slingshot.

" **Flame Star!** "

Chew screamed as the fire ignited the alcohol he was soaked with, instantly setting him on fire.

"Ahhh! Water! I need water!" Chew screamed, heading for the sea.

"Go get some then!" Sanji jumped out from behind.

" **Collier Shoot!** "

Sanji kicked the back of Chew's neck, sending him crashing into the water in an explosion of spray.

"So much for being way stronger than us," Sanji smirked.

"You bastards..." Arlong finally stood from his throne. His eyes burning with rage.

"ARLONG!" a voice called out from the crowd of villagers.

Everyone turned to see a straw hat wearing Nami with a bandaged left shoulder standing in front of the villagers.

"Nami…" Arlong growled, smirking. "Have you come to watch these Marines die?"

"No, Arlong, I came to kill you." Nami gripped her staff.

"Shahahaha! In all the eight years you've been here, you tried every method you could think of!" Arlong laughed.

"Assassination, poison, surprise attacks… They were all futile! What makes it different this time?"

"I have my friends," Nami smirked at him confidently.

"Shahahaha! You call these Marines your friends? Weren't the Marines the ones who took your money away in the first place?" Arlong laughed again.

Nami gritted her teeth.

"Wait, a marine took Nami's money?" Luffy looked at his crew.

"Ah, right, you were still in the ship…" Usopp remarked.

"A Marine ship from the sixteenth branch came by just now and confiscated all of the money from Nami under Arlong's orders…" Sanji spat.

"Sixteenth branch…" Luffy gritted his teeth.

"I'll make sure to kill everyone you know, and make you draw maps for me for the rest of your life!" Arlong gloated.

"And I'll even let you watch as I slowly kill each of the people in your village! You'll regre—"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy punched Arlong's abdomen, sending him flying back into the wall again.

"Guys, protect the villagers. I'm beating this guy up." Luffy cracked his knuckles.

All three nodded as Usopp and Sanji hefted a bleeding Zoro out of the park, letting the village doctor bandage him up again.

"You filthy Marine…" Arlong flicked his shirt, brushing off the dust on it. "Was that supposed to do something to me?"

"You made Nami cry, I'll make sure you feel her pain." Luffy took off his cloak, tossing it back to Nami. "Help me take care of that, Nami. And watch me beat this guy." Luffy flashed her a grin.

"Beat me? I'll kill you, you stupid human!" Arlong lunged towards Luffy, aiming to punch his head.

" **Tekai!** " Luffy withstood the punch without flinching.

Arlong didn't hesitate as he bit down on Luffy's shoulder, drawing blood.

' _He bit past my Tekai!'_

Luffy grabbed him by the head, pulling Arlong off his shoulder and tossed him back, grimacing as the blood flowed from his shoulder.

' _I forgot he came from the Grand Line, he's stronger than most people here…'_

"Shahahaha! You're all talk Marine! I'll crush you soon enough!" Arlong charged forward again, his mouth open to bite Luffy.

Luffy dodged out of the way as Arlong bit into the pillar behind him, crushing it with his jaws.

' _My Tekai's too weak to stand against his bite, should I use Haki?'_

Luffy sidestepped again as Arlong lunged for him, breaking down another pillar.

' _No… I already promised teacher I wouldn't…'_

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Luffy picked up his straw hat that had been laying on his table, carefully placing it on his head. He turned and unhooked his Marine cloak from the clothes hanger just beside his table, deftly draping it over his shoulders._

 _He stepped towards the door, turning back to look at the room he had spent most of his days living in while training at Marineford._

 _A knock sounded on the door just as Luffy was about to leave. Opening the door, the three Admirals stood before him._

" _Oh, hi guys! Thanks for everything you taught me this year!" Luffy grinned._

 _Aokiji and Kizaru couldn't help but smile back, though Akainu just grunted._

" _Luffy, we'll see you off at the harbor," Aokiji placed his hand on Luffy's shoulder, gently pushing him along._

 _They walked in silence until they reached the door leading out to the harbor where Aokiji stopped Luffy with a firm grip on his shoulder. The tall admiral knelt on a knee to see Luffy eye to eye._

" _Listen Luffy, you're strong, monstrously strong if I must say so. I have no doubts that if you train for another two years, you may reach, nay, maybe even surpass your grandfather's level."_

 _Luffy's eyes sparkled, "Really?! I'll be as strong as gramps?!"_

" _Definitely, you_ _ **are**_ _his grandson after all." Aokiji grinned despite himself._

" _Just get to the point Kuzan," Kizaru whistled offhandedly._

" _Luffy, you'll be deployed in East Blue for your first official mission. I want you, as your teacher, to avoid using your Haki as much as possible in your fights."_

" _Eh? Why?" Luffy tilted his head._

" _You're already strong without your Haki, I don't know what you did while you were attached to Cipher Pol, but if you were to combine your strength with Haki, you might unintentionally kill someone." Aokiji's eyes were deathly serious._

 _Akainu snorted from the side puffing on his cigar, "Let him use it, they're all just pirates after all, the world won't miss a few of them dead. I'd say, Luffy, just use your Haki as you like. If you show the higher ups your power, promotions will roll in for you in no time."_

 _Aokiji casted a side glance at Akainu, his eyes as cold as ice. Akainu shrugged, turning away, "He's your apprentice."_

 _Aokiji turned back to Luffy, "Remember Luffy, don't use your Haki unless you have to, I don't want there to be any deaths on your hands, at least not this soon. You understand me?"_

" _I understand, just don't use my Haki unless my friends are in danger, right?" Luffy grinned._

 _All three Admirals grinned, "Just take it as an extra training coming from me."_

* * *

"Die! You damn Marine!" Arlong lunged at Luffy again, mouth wide open.

Luffy side stepped the bite again, sending a fist right into Arlong's jaw, smashing his mouth together and shattering his teeth.

"He broke Arlong's teeth!" Yosaku exclaimed.

"Let's see him bite anything now!" Johnny punched his fist in victory.

Arlong spat out the ruined teeth as new ones grew out almost immediately.

"It grew back?!" Both Johnny and Yosaku eyes popped out.

"Of course, I'm a shark after all. My teeth will just keep growing back no matter how many times it breaks." Arlong smirked.

"This is the difference in our species! We are the ones that are superior to you humans in every way! You cannot hope to match us!" Arlong pulled out his teeth with one hand, letting a new set grow back before pulling it out with his other hand as well.

Arlong lunged towards Luffy with the teeth in his hands, snapping at Luffy.

" **Soru!** "

Luffy reappeared behind Arlong, his right index finger poised to strike.

" **Shigan!** "

Luffy stabbed forward with his finger at Arlong's back, only for Arlong to turn around and clamp down the teeth in his right hand on his wrist. Luffy yelled in pain as he twisted his body around in midair, kicking his foot at Arlong.

" **Rankyaku!** "

The compressed air sliced at Arlong, not strong enough to cut him completely, sending him flying away for the third time.

Luffy pried open the teeth that was still imbedded in his wrist and tossed it away. He furrowed his brows, watching as Arlong stood up again, his face contorted with rage. He lifted a hand and wiped at the clean cut across his chest, glaring at his blood.

"You will pay for that," Arlong sneered.

"You wish, **Shigan Rankyaku!** " Luffy stabbed his finger at Arlong, sending an air bullet piercing straight through his shoulder.

Arlong roared and charged at Luffy, eyes burning with murderous rage.

Luffy stabbed his finger again, but Arlong saw it coming this time and sidestepped the bullet, flinging himself towards Luffy and punching his left fist at his face.

" **Tekai Utsugi!** "

The moment Arlong's fist connected with Luffy, the force of the punch was returned back to him along his arm, sending him flying back and crashing into the ground.

"You damn Marine! I am a fishman! I should be way stronger than you! How are you tossing me around?!" Arlong pushed himself up again, his left arm bleeding profusely.

"You're not that strong, Arlong. There are people out there that are much stronger than you." Luffy narrowed his eyes at Arlong. "And there's no way I'll lose to scum like you who made my friend cry."

Arlong raised his right arm, water dripping down his palm, "Don't get so full of yourself, Marine. This fight isn't over!"

Arlong threw his arm at him, sending droplets of water speeding towards Luffy.

" **Tekai!** "

Luffy faced the barrage of water head on, the water blasting against his hardened skin. When the barrage stopped, Luffy pointed his finger at Arlong again.

" **Shigan Rankyaku!** "

Arlong flung himself into the sea, dodging the air bullet.

"Did Arlong try to run?" Usopp said hopefully.

"No... Luffy! Be careful! He's stronger inside the water!" Nami shouted at her Captain. He returned a grin to her and nodded, turning his head back to glare at the water.

" **Shark on Darts!** "

Arlong emerged suddenly from the water, his nose aimed straight at Luffy's chest. Luffy gritted his teeth as he flung himself to his right, allowing Arlong to sail past him and into the building behind him. The wall crumbled against Arlong's charge, spewing out a cloud of dust.

Arlong emerged from the hole he had created in the building, smirking down at Luffy, "Nice dodge, however I wo-"

" **Soru!** "

Luffy appeared right in front of Arlong, spinning towards Arlong, he kicked downwards at Arlong's head. Arlong barely had time to lift his arms to block the attack before he was sent crashing down through the floors of the building.

As the dust settled, Arlong stepped out from the debris, a wicked sword with saws for blades in his hands. His eyes had turned into thin slits, similar to a Sea King that had gone berserk.

"Kiribachi!" Nami gasped. "If he uses that sword… He's going to destroy everything!"

"I will kill you," Arlong said simply, glaring up at Luffy.

He leaped towards Luffy, slashing his sword wildly towards him, not caring that he was destroying his own base as he did so.

" **Geppo!** "

Luffy kicked the air under his feet, launching himself into the air to escape Arlong's wild swings. Arlong lunged towards Luffy with his outstretched hand, grabbing on to Luffy's ankle and throwing him back into the building before diving back in after him.

Luffy coughed as he pushed him self up just as Arlong entered through the hole in the wall, his sword held by his side, advancing slowly towards Luffy. Luffy then noticed the stacks of papers and books scattered around the room, he picked a piece up that was on the floor, revealing a detailed drawing of an island.

"This room…" Luffy gasped.

"Shahahaha! This is the room where Nami had spent the last eight years in, drawing maps for me!" Arlong snickered. "It's easy for fishmen to navigate in the waters, but to translate all that information on a piece of paper is beyond us. That girl has a great talent, with her maps, we fishmen will rule the world!"

Arlong swung his sword to rest it on Luffy's neck who barely noticed it, still staring at the contents of the room.

"That girl's talents will be wasted if she were with you, only I know how to use her to her full potential! After I kill you, I'll lock her in here again, forever!"

Luffy slowly placed the paper down, "I can hear it."

Arlong raised an eyebrow, frowning, "Hear what? Your imminent death?"

"I can hear Nami's sadness and rage inside this room… She suffered so much here…" Luffy gripped the blade of Arlong's sword, his hand was black.

Arlong tried to pull his sword back, only to realize it didn't budge.

"How do you still have so much strength?!" Arlong demanded, pulling sword with both his hands while Luffy held it still with a single hand.

"This room… Cannot be allowed to exist." Luffy crushed the blade with his hand, standing up with rage boiling in his eyes.

" **Soru!** " Luffy leaped up through the roof, smashing a hole straight through to reveal the sky.

He glared down at the Park, his leg poised in a kicking motion.

" **Rankyaku Arashi!** "

Luffy's leg became a blur as he kicked towards the park repeatedly, sending blades after blades of compressed air down into the Park, cutting through the building in a storm of blades. Most of it had cut through the room that he was in earlier, sending furniture and papers scattering out of the building.

Everyone watched in confusion as Luffy continued to rain down destruction in that specific room, only Nami understood as she saw the maps that she had been forced to draw shred into pieces.

"Luffy… Thank you…" Nami cried.

"STOP IT YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!" Arlong shouted as he watched the destruction of the room helplessly.

" **Geppo!** "

Luffy kicked the air behind him, propelling him straight towards Arlong.

" **Tekkai Sai!** "

With his hardened body, Luffy crashed into Arlong, smashing him through the building and into the ground on the bottom most floor.

Luffy stood back up from the bloodied and unconscious form of Arlong, the building crashing down all around him. He grabbed Arlong by his nose, pulling him out of the building just as it collapsed completely behind him.

Everyone gaped at the Marine dragging the unconscious form of Arlong towards them, not believing what they were seeing.

"NAMI!" Luffy shouted towards her. "YOU'RE MY NAVIGATOR NOW, GOT IT?"

Nami wiped a tear away from her eye, "Of course, Captain."

"He did it! He beat Arlong!"

"Arlong Park has fallen!"

"We're finally free!"

The villagers cheered.

"That bastard did it," Sanji grinned.

"Heh, I expected no less from our Captain," Zoro smirked.

"He did it! We won!" Usopp punched the air in victory.

"Chichichichi! Alright, that's enough celebrating!" A voice called out from behind the villagers. Everyone turned to see a company of Marines with their rifles drawn pointing towards them with Nezumi at the front, leading them.

"What a lucky day it is for me, thanks to you guys for showing me such a splendid battle. I'd never have thought that these fishmen could be beaten by a bunch of no name marines." Nezumi snickered.

Nezumi stepped forward, "Now all thanks to you, all the riches of Arlong Park belong to me! Throw down your arms villagers! I, Captain Nezumi of the sixteenth branch shall take credit for this victory!"

Luffy stepped out from among the villagers, still dragging Arlong's body behind him. He dumped it unceremoniously to the side as he stopped in front of Nezumi, arms crossed.

"So you're the one who took Nami's money…" Luffy glared at him.

"What… What of it? You're just some no name Marine, no one's going to believe you over me, a Captain! You better step away if you know what's good for you!" Nezumi smirked, lifting his hand to direct the Marines to point their guns at Luffy.

"Here, Captain Luffy, your cloak." Nami carefully draped the Marine cloak over Luffy's shoulders, drawing shocked gasps from the marines. Luffy smiled back at her as thanks.

"Who… Who are you?" Nezumi stuttered.

"Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines," Luffy pulled out the document from under his cloak, unfurling it to show Nezumi its contents. "I have the authority of Vice Admiral Garp behind my back, to point your guns at me is to point your guns at him!"

The marines immediately dropped their weapons and stiffened in salute, Nezumi fell on his hunches, mouth wide open in shock.

"Captain Nezumi of the sixteenth branch, with my authority, I charge you with the following crimes: willingly collaborating with pirates to harm innocent civilians, embezzlement, treason and insubordination. I hereby remove your status as a Marine Captain and you will stand trial for your crimes. Every marine at the sixteenth branch will also receive a severe re-inspection of their ranks for their collaboration in this criminal activity."

"You… You… Tch! Men! Get rid of him!" Nezumi shouted, all of the marines hesitated.

"But… Sir… He has Vice Admiral Garp's backing…" one of the marines tried to placate Nezumi.

"I don't care! He's not here now! If we just get rid of everyone now, no one will know what happened here!" Nezumi shouted, grabbing a gun from the floor. "Now don't move you stupid boy! Chichichi, I can just blame all your deaths on Arlong and still get to claim credit for defeating him!"

Luffy narrowed his eyes at him, taking a step forward.

"I SAID DON'T MOVE! Or I'll have everyone here killed! Especially the villagers!" Nezumi screamed, cocking the gun at Luffy.

"Didn't he tell you what it means to point your gun at him?" A gruff voice huffed from behind.

Before anyone could react, a hand reached out to grab on to Nezumi's gun, crushing it in his hands.

Nezumi turned to see the towering figure of a Marine Vice Admiral behind him.

"Vice… Vice Admiral… Garp…" Nezumi stuttered.

"GRAMPS!" Luffy exclaimed, rushing forward arms wide.

"Luffy! Bwahahaha! Come here you little rascal!" Garp laughed, giving his grandson a bear hug.

"GRAMPS?!" Everyone exclaimed, eyes popping out of their heads.

"Shishishi! What are you doing here? I thought you were still at Headquarters?" Luffy laughed as Garp tousled his hair.

"I went to pick up that Morgan fellow you arrested, although he did escape. Bwahahahaha!" Garp scratched his head in embarrassment. "On my way back, I received a call from HQ that you had requested for reinforcements here! Well, although you did cancelled that halfway, I still came here anyway! Wahahaha!"

Garp turned to glare down at Nezumi, now cowering on the ground. "So… You dare point your gun at my grandson, eh?"

"Eeeiiii! I'm… I'm sorry sir! I didn't know! Please forgive me!" Nezumi prostrated on the ground in front of Garp.

"Hmph, all of you!" The marines of sixteenth branch stiffened as Garp turned to address them. "Tie him up and bring him back to your base, I'll be the one in charge of your… 're-inspection'." Garp grinned wickedly at the last word.

The marines scurried to obey, carrying a crying Nezumi back to their ship.

"Shishishi! Thanks Grandpa! You're the best!" Luffy grinned at Garp.

"Bwahahaha! Try to catch up, Luffy!" Garp bellowed, tousling Luffy's hair again.

"Oh! Gramps! I want you to meet my crew! Hey guys! Come over here!" Luffy waved to his crew.

"Hey, he's calling us…" Sanji nudged Zoro.

"I know… Shouldn't we go?" Zoro grimaced.

"The Marine hero Garp… Is his grandfather?" Nami mouthed.

"I don't feel so good…" Usopp looked like he was about to vomit.

Nevertheless, the four stood in front of the grandson grandpa duo at attention and waited as Garp sized them up with a huge grin on his face.

"This is my first mate! Zoro! He's going to be the best swordsman in the world one day!" Luffy jumped in front of Zoro, grinning proudly.

"This one is Usopp! He's a great warrior of the seas and also my best sharpshooter!" Luffy clasped Usopp's shoulder firmly.

"This one is Sanji! He's the best cook in the world! He's going to find the All Blue and cook even better food!" Luffy clapped happily.

"And this one is Nami! She's going to… Er…" Luffy turned to Nami with a raised eyebrow. "You do have a dream right?" Luffy smiled sheepishly.

Nami stared at her Captain incredulously for a while, "It's been my dream to map out the world…"

Luffy grinned, "Nami's going to draw the best map of the world!"

"Wahahaha! You have a great crew Luffy!" Garp laughed, tears spilling out from his eyes. Garp turned towards the four of them after settling down, "Take care of my grandson for me, ya hear?"

All of them nodded dumbly. Nami raised her hand, "Er… Vice Admiral Garp, sir? Are you really Luffy's Grandfather?"

Garp snorted proudly, his hands on his hips, "Of course! Can't you see the family resemblance?!"

Nami looked away, whispering to herself, "I didn't even know you were married…"

Garp turned back to his grandson, withdrawing another piece of paper from his cloak, "Anyway, there's another reason why I came to find you, Luffy." He unfurled the paper and passed it to Luffy.

"First thing, you got promoted to Commodore, Luffy," Garp grinned uncontrollably. "Your current station has also changed, you're going to be re-assigned to the Grand Line, report to Captain Smoker in Loguetown for the full details since I can't be bothered to remember."

"Smokey!" Luffy clapped.

"Wahahaha! Anyway, Luffy," Garp bent down and picked up Arlong with a hand. "I'll take this guy back with me, then clean up the Marines at sixteenth branch. That Nezumi fellow will definitely stand trial for all this. So you can set off for Loguetown when you can."

"Thanks Grandpa!" Luffy gave Garp another hug.

"And before I forget," Garp wrapped his arm over Luffy, pulling him aside, whispering, "That's a rather cute girl in your crew ain't she? Does Hancock know about this?" Garp was grinning wickedly.

Luffy's face turned red as he pushed his grandfather away, "It's not like that! She's my friend!"

"Wahahaha! I'll help you tell her then!" Garp laughed, strutting away.

"Gramps!" Luffy yelled after the departing Vice Admiral.

Luffy sighed before turning back to join his crew, "Sorry about that, guys, gramps has always been like that."

"Luffy, your grandfather is the Marine Hero, Garp the Fist?" Nami gasped.

"Er… Yeah… He's the 'trainer' I kept telling you guys about…" Luffy smiled sheepishly.

Zoro grinned, "If you spent three years under that monster, I understand how you got so strong."

"Luffy, why didn't you tell us?" Usopp raised his eyebrow.

"Well… Gramps told me not to tell unless necessary… Sorry…" Luffy scratched his head.

"Well… Never mind then… So what now, _Commodore_ Luffy?" Sanji grinned.

"Shishishi! We party of course! We worked so hard to prepare it for Nami after all!" Luffy shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

That spurred the villagers back into cheering.

"Spread the good news to the whole island! Arlong Park has fallen! We are free!"

* * *

The party went into full swing right after everyone heard the news, there was food and drinks everywhere and music was blasting in every corner of the island. The villagers dance, sang, ate and drank to their hearts content, each of them having a smile plastered on their faces.

For them who had endured the shadow of Arlong Park for so long, they were determined to celebrate its fall as much as possible.

Nami, Nojiko and Gen walked along the path back to the village, Garp had dropped off the money Nezumi had 'confiscated' at Nami's house beforehand, much to Nami's surprise.

"So you're going to follow your mother's footsteps huh?" Nojiko grinned.

"Yeah… I'm going to draw a map of the world while I'm at it and become a better Marine than mother ever did!" Nami thumped her chest.

"Hahaha! You two are without a doubt, Bellemere's daughters!" Gen laughed.

* * *

"Hey Sanji! Where did you get that melon from earlier?" Luffy asked, his mouth stuffed full of food.

"The Raw Ham Melon? I don't know, I just picked it up from somewhere," Sanji puffed on his cigarette. Zoro was chugging down mugs of beer beside him.

"I'll go find it!" Luffy dashed off into the crowd.

"You wouldn't think that guy just beat down the most dangerous pirate in East Blue just a few hours ago," Zoro sighed contentedly, setting down his beer.

"Heh, and he just had to drop the 'My-Grandpa-is-the Marine-Hero' bomb on us right after." Sanji stood, brushing the dirt from his pants. "Well, now that I'm done eating… It's time to flirt!" Sanji dashed off into the crowd as well.

"Tch, at least share a drink with me first, you shitty cook," Zoro continued chugging down his beer.

* * *

Gen stood in front of Bellemere's grave, pouring a bottle of wine over it.

"Bellemere, your daughters have grown into fine young women. Nami's going to follow your footsteps and become a Marine while chasing her dreams. She couldn't have wished for more."

Gen looked up at the stars, gripping on to the empty bottle. "If only you were here to see them now, you would be so proud…"

He glanced back at the grave, "We've had enough of tears and frowns, from now on, we're all gonna live our lives to the fullest and laugh and smile until our cheeks hurt!"

"Oh, hey Gen!" Luffy shouted, seeing Gen on top of the hill. "You know where I can find some Raw Ham Melons?"

Gen grinned, "They should be in the village in front of the doc's house."

"Okey dokey, thanks, Gen." Luffy turned to walk away.

"Commodore, wait." Gen turned to face Luffy. "This grave here, belongs to Nami's mother, she used to be a Marine like you but died at the hands of Arlong. Now Nami's going to follow her mother's footsteps under you…"

Luffy grinned, "Don't worry Gen, I protect all my crewmates. They're all precious to me."

"Thank you," Gen smiled back, turning back to face the grave.

The party continued late into the night and into the next morning.

* * *

"So you're leaving, huh?" Luffy stared at the two bounty hunters.

"Yeah, we're going back to bounty hunting," Johnny grinned.

"We already caused enough trouble for you guys, it's time we went back to what we do best!" Yosaku gave a thumbs up.

"Shishishi! Take care you guys!" Luffy returned the thumbs up.

"You guys take care too! We'll definitely see each other again!" Both Johnny and Yosaku cried.

"Is Nami not here yet?" Sanji groaned, leaning against the mast of the ship.

"Who knows, maybe she's having second thoughts with you around," Zoro smirked.

"Shut it, marimo." Sanji groaned. He remembered trying to make a pass at Nami only for Nojiko to slap him across the town.

All of them were on board the ship waiting for Nami, she had said she had some things to take care of before she leaves. Garp had already left with Arlong in chains the night before and headed straight for the sixteenth branch, no doubt drilling his judgement into each of the marines there right now. The whole village stood at the harbour as well, waiting to see Nami off.

"You'd think with how much she loves money, she would have taken the whole hundred million with her," Gen gritted his teeth.

"Nami's definitely changed, she didn't want a single berry of it." Nojiko smiled, watching the path that lead to their house.

"It doesn't feel right, we should be the ones repaying her for all that she's done for us, and she wouldn't even listen! And she's leaving us the money too! What does that make us?"

"She said she can just make more money, it's not like her Commodore's dirt poor anyway," Nojiko giggled.

"SET SAIL!" Nami shouted from the path.

"Nami-swaan!" Sanji waved from the ship with heart shaped eyes.

"Shishishi! You heard her! Set sail!" Luffy punched the air.

"Are you sure?" Usopp hesitated.

"It's her farewell, let her do it her way," Zoro grinned.

Everyone scurried around the ship, preparing it for departure.

"Nami!"

"Nami! Wait! You don't mean to leave without saying goodbye?"

"At least let us thank you first!"

"You Marines! Wait! We have to thank you as well!"

The villagers cried out as Nami sprinted towards them, head down.

"Nami!" Gen stepped out in front of the crowd, barring her way. "I can't allow you to leave this way!"

Nami dashed past him without looking, slithering through the crowd and reaching the jetty, making a running leap onto the deck of the ship.

"Nami!" The villagers cried out.

She smirked at them before lifting the hem of her shirt, the wallets hidden underneath fell onto the ground.

"What?! My wallet's gone!"

"So is mine!"

"Mine too!"

"She took it!"

The villagers panicked.

Nami waved her hand in farewell, "Take care everyone!"

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE THIEF!" The villagers shouted in unison.

"You better come back and visit you hear!"

"Make us proud!"

"Stay safe!"

"She didn't change at all," Nojiko sighed.

Nami grinned at all the well wishes, "Take care everyone! I'll be going now!"

Nami spun around to see Luffy grinning at her, she smiled and saluted smartly like how her mother had showed her in the past. "Commodore Luffy, your navigator is reporting for duty!"

"Shishishi! Let's set a course for Loguetown! We're heading for the Grand Line! Let's go guys!" Luffy punched the air.

"YES, SIR!"


	10. Chapter 10: Familiar Faces

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry this one took so long, I had to edit it quite a number of times before I was finally reasonably satisfied with it_

 _I went ahead to make a picture of how I had imagined their flag to be, it's the cover image for the story :P  
_

 _Thanks again for all your reviews! :D_

 _Enjoy :)_

* * *

Luffy sat on the deck, staring at the tangerine trees that Nami had insisted on bringing along. It took quite a while for them to transport all three of the trees with great care and plant them at the back of the ship.

"Nami, how do tangerines taste like?" Luffy tilted his head at her.

She looked up from the map she was holding, raising an eyebrow, "You've never eaten one before?"

Luffy shook his head.

Nami approached the trees and picked an especially big one and handed it to him, "Try it."

Luffy bit into the fruit without peeling it.

"You dummy!" Nami snatched the fruit back. "You're supposed to peel it first!"

"Shishishi, sorry," Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment, receiving the peeled tangerine back.

Luffy bit a mouthful of it, chewing it slowly. "It's really good!" he exclaimed, taking another bite.

"Of course! Now don't pick any of them when I'm not around, or you won't get any more from me!" Nami grinned, going back to her map.

"Okey dokey," Luffy grinned before finishing the tangerine in one last bite. "Sanji! I want meat!" Luffy rushed down to the kitchen.

Usopp watched Luffy disappear down the stairs before turning to Nami, frowning, "When **I** tried to take a tangerine, you beat me up..."

"Hehehe, he did assign me as his treasurer," Nami grinned smugly. "Now I'm in charge of all the money he has. And there's also the uncollected bounties for Buggy, Kuro, Krieg and Arlong!" Nami rubbed her hands together in glee, thinking about the amount of money they were about to receive.

Usopp sweat dropped, "should have figured it was because of money..."

A news coo descended on the ship with a loud caw. Nami fished out a few coins and deposited them in his bag, she frowned when the bird made no move to give her a newspaper.

"Another increase in price?!" Nami pinched the bird's beak, depositing another coin inside his bag before snatching the newspaper away. "You guys are the real thieves here!"

The news coo gave Nami an apologetic caw before flying away.

"I thought you didn't care that much about money anymore?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I care!" Nami snapped. "What makes this worse is that it's our Commodore's money! It'll make me look bad if I don't manage it properly! Daily expenses add up, you know?"

Usopp shrugged, turning back to the small table he had set up at the back of the ship to craft more of his special bullets.

Nami settled down on a lounge chair as she flipped through the newspaper, ignoring the scuffling sounds coming from the kitchen. The door was flung open as an enraged Sanji threw Luffy out by his collar.

"I told you to wait until I finish cooking! If you're gonna eat everything, we won't have any more food!"

Luffy stuck his tongue out at him, "Stingy!"

A tick appeared on Sanji's forehead, "Stay outside you stupid Commodore! Why won't you listen to me?!"

"I can't help it if your food taste this good…" Luffy pouted.

Sanji grinned hearing that, "Hmph, at least you know how to appreciate food, but wait until I finish cooking!"

Sanji turned away and slammed the door, not waiting for a reaction.

"Hey Luffy!" Nami shouted above the deck, waving the newspaper at him. "There's an article about you!"

"Really?! Where? Let me see!" Luffy rushed up to her, looking over her shoulder as she showed him the page.

"New promising Marine from the East Blue… Took down four notorious pirates… New unit called the Straw Hat Marines… Carrying the hammer of Justice… They didn't mention our names?" Luffy noted.

"You said your Grandpa didn't want too many people finding out your relations, right?" Nami glanced back at him.

Luffy nodded.

"He probably told them to withhold our names in case someone makes the connection, not that it matters once we do something big again..." Nami scratched her chin. "With this, people should at least know our unit's existence now." Nami tapped the newspaper.

"Hey! I see land ahead!" Zoro yelled from the crow's nest.

"That must be Loguetown then, everyone prepare to disembark!" Nami yelled.

* * *

Merry slowly pulled into the harbor as the Straw Hats prepared to leave the ship. Luffy had gathered everyone on the deck, a few bags full of berries beside him.

"Ok, first things first, I'll have to get my report from Smokey at the Marine base in this town and then sign you guys up as official Marines. I already made my request to Gramps before he left about your ranks and stations so I don't think there would be a problem. In the meantime, I want you guys to use this money to buy anything you might need before we head to the Grand Line." Luffy gestured to the pile of bags beside him, Nami's mouth was already watering.

"We can requisition any essential living supplies off the base so we won't need to spend on that, once you're all done, report back to the base, I'll have all of you outfitted in Marine attire. That is all," Luffy grinned.

"Can we really use all this to buy what we want?" Nami asked hopefully.

Luffy pretended to think for a while, "As long as you need it, I guess?"

"Thank you, Luffy!" Nami hugged him before grabbing a few bags of berries and running off.

"You're going to regret that, Luffy… That witch is going to spend everything…" Zoro grimaced.

"Don't call Nami a witch, marimo!" Sanji yelled at Zoro.

"Shishishi, just use it to buy what you need, I don't mind," Luffy grinned.

Sanji and Usopp each took a bag before leaving the ship while Zoro stared at the last bag left.

"Luffy, I'm going to need to buy two new swords, I don't think this much is gonna be enough…" Zoro gestured to the last bag.

"Oh, well then follow me to see Smokey, I'll get the bounty money from him as well!" Luffy tossed the bag at Zoro before leaping off the ship. "Let's go Zoro! I still want to go see the execution stand!"

"What are we, tourists now?" Zoro grinned, sprinting after his Commodore.

* * *

Inside the Marine base, a bare chested Captain was piling up a stack of pebbles dutifully. He had light blueish-green hair and a muscular chest, a pair of cigars smouldered in between his teeth.

He picked up the sixth pebble and hovered his hand over the pebble tower, concentrating on its position before gently lowering his hand to place the pebble at the top.

The sound of a door bursting open exploded through the base, "SMOKEEYYYY!"

Smoker jerked his hand and the tower fell to pieces. He cursed under his breath, tossing the last pebble away and pulling on his Marine jacket that had green fur lining the neck, wrists and hem.

"Shit… I thought he'd only reach tomorrow…" Smoker breathed, quickly extinguishing his two cigars in the ashtray and running towards the closet in the far end of the room.

The door to the room slammed open, "SMOKEEYY! There you are!" Luffy stepped in gingerly, spotting Smoker halfway into the closet.

Smoker cursed under his breath as he backed out of the closet, closing it as he did so. He stepped in front of Luffy, saluting stiffly, "Commodore Luffy."

"Oh? You already knew? Shishishi, I wanted to surprise you!" Luffy laughed, returning the salute.

"How could I not know? I'm pretty sure everyone at Headquarters knew about it already…" Smoker sighed, scratching his head.

"Shishishi! Hina says hi too!" Luffy grinned.

Smoker covered his face with a palm, "Please don't mention her… She already called me just yesterday and kept me up all night about your scuffle with Kuro..."

"Hehehe, and about our bet…" Luffy smirked uncontrollably.

"Fine! Fine! You win! Are you happy now? I won't smoke in front of you anymore!" Smoker raised his hands in surrender.

"Shishishi, thanks Smokey!"

"Tch… Just because I used to tease you with my smoke doesn't mean you have to hate all kinds of tobacco…" Smoker sighed.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Luffy walked beside Hina in the corridors of Marineford. Hina seemed to be tense while Luffy skipped along, whistling a tune as though he was on a tour._

 _They stopped outside a room with a plaque "Smoker" nailed on the door._

" _He's the other Captain that will be coming with us," Hina explained, rapping her knuckles on the door. Luffy noted the streams of smoke that seemed to be flowing out from under the door._

 _She pushed it open without waiting for an answer to find the room filled to the brim with smoke. Luffy coughed uncontrollably as he inhaled the smoke._

" _Smoker, stop it, he can't take the smell," Hina admonished._

" _The kid can suck it up then," Smoker stepped out from within the cloud. He stared at the coughing boy, seemingly unimpressed._

" _Monkey D. Luffy, huh? Don't think I'll bow down to you just because you're Garp's grandson." Smoker grunted. He crossed his arms, raising his chin at the boy, "Unless you're my superior, you're going to just have to suck it up, understand?"_

 _Luffy frowned, nodding while stifling another cough._

" _Hmph, if you can't pull your weight around here, I'm going to just drop you in the sea," Smoker slammed the door without waiting for an answer._

" _Sorry, Luffy, he's always like that." Hina frowned at the door._

" _It's alright, I just have to be his superior right? I'm going to be an Admiral, after all!" Luffy grinned, unfazed by the exchange._

* * *

"Can't I at least have one?" Smoker groaned.

"You promised!"

"Yes, yes… If you got a promotion earlier than I did, I'll stop doing it in front of you." Smoker sighed deeper.

Zoro gave a slight cough behind Luffy, Smoker then noticed him for the first time.

"Who's this? One of your crewmates?" Smoker raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Smokey, this is my first mate, Zoro. Zoro, this is Captain Smokey, I used to be attached to his unit along with Captain Hina's in the past."

Both men stuck out their hand and shook.

"Captain Smoker." Smoker grunted. "So you're Roronoa Zoro, the pirate hunter? Never thought you'll join as a Marine…"

"Luffy has his way with words," Zoro grinned.

"He's a handful isn't he?"

"Indeed, Captain Hina said the same thing," Zoro sighed.

"You'll get used to it," Smoker gave a knowing smile before turning back to Luffy. "Now, _Commodore_ Luffy, I have your orders ready, if you want it now."

"Not yet, Zoro needs to buy his swords, I don't suppose you have my bounties ready?"

"Indeed I do," Smoker turned towards the still open door, "Tashigi!"

They waited for a few moments when no response came.

"TASHIGI!" Smoker yelled louder. Hurried footsteps approached the door and a marine guard entered the room, saluting.

"Captain Smoker, sir! Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi has been out of the base since this morning!"

"That confounded girl…" Smoker pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He waved the marine away and walked over to his desk, lifting up a chest from underneath the table.

"Here's the half bounty from Buggy and full bounties for Kuro, Krieg and Arlong. The whole sixty and a half million berries. With the reimbursement for rooting out Morgan and Nezumi, the total would come to sixty-five million. You should have seen how much that Nezumi had embezzled," Smoker grinned, opening the chest to reveal the stacks of notes inside.

"Unless you're planning to build a fleet, I'd think you're set enough for Grand Line in the monetary department."

Zoro snickered, "You'd think so, huh? You have no idea who's in our crew."

Smoker frowned, "You're not really intending on building a fleet are you?"

"Nah, there's a girl in our group," Zoro grinned, Smoker could only nod in understanding.

"Nami isn't like that," Luffy chuckled, counting out half a million berries and handing them to Zoro. "Go get yourself something decent with this, Zoro."

"Thanks Luffy," Zoro pocketed the money carefully.

"You can get one of my guards to show you to the shop, there's one that's quite good around these parts," Smoker grinned.

Zoro nodded a thanks before exiting the room.

Smoker watched Zoro leave before turning back to Luffy, "Alright, I'll go through your orders, it's a bit unusual even for you."

Smoker pulled out the chair and sat at his desk, gesturing Luffy to do the same opposite him. He pulled out a stack of papers and a small wooden box from within the desk drawers and placed them on the table carefully.

He pulled out a cigar and placed it in his mouth.

"Just let me bite it, I feel weird without one," Smoker said quickly before Luffy could protest.

He pushed the papers towards Luffy, pulling out each one as he went through the details, "First thing is that you're being transferred to the Grand Line of course, you should know that by now. Next thing is that instead of having an 'area' to patrol, Headquarters wants you to be assigned to a 'route'."

"A route?" Luffy echoed, tilting his head.

"You know about the Log Pose, right?" Smoker raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course! I stayed in the Grand Line for three years after all!" Luffy thumped his chest proudly.

Smoker opened the box, revealing a Log Pose within. "Pick a route using the Log Pose and that will be your station. You came here at just the right time too, there's been a whole new bunch of pirates entering the Grand Line just recently, Headquarters wants you to follow along one of the routes and clean out any criminals you come across. You are to stick to that route until you reach Headquarters, from there you'll receive new orders."

Smoker closed the box and handed it to Luffy, who had it stowed away inside his cloak.

"Your past orders apply here as well, capture any pirate with bounties and it's yours to claim; arrest any corrupt marines and Headquarters will reimburse you for the trouble."

Smoker pulled out four pieces of paper each with the details and photos of Luffy's crewmates.

"Headquarters approved of your requests for your crewmates, each of them granted a Commander rank for now. I hadn't tried to push for Captain since it might cause some resentment among the other Marine officers. There are already cases of marines claiming favouritism just because you're Garp's grandson."

Luffy nodded in understanding, not surprised by the news.

Smoker clipped the stack of papers and handed it to Luffy, standing from the table.

"I can have your ship's bottom coated with seastone and a battleship ready to get your ship across the Calm Belt by tomorrow."

"Thanks Smokey, you're a big help." Luffy stashed the papers in his cloak.

"Heh, in the meantime, just take it easy for now, I'll have your crew outfitted once they come in."

"Okey dokey, I wanna go take a look at the execution stand!" Luffy grinned, already making a dash out the door.

"You never changed huh, Luffy," Smoker grinned to himself.

* * *

Zoro looked up at the sign for the sword shop.

"Arms Shop…" Zoro mouthed. "So cliche…"

He turned to look at the Marine that guided him here, raising an eyebrow, "You sure this is the best shop?"

"Aye, sir. This shop has quite a long history in this town," The marine nodded dumbly.

Zoro waved him away and stepped into the shop, glancing around.

The shop was empty aside for a female customer and the shopkeeper, who seemed to be bickering about something. Rows of wicked looking weapons adorned the walls all around the shop with the odd armour sticking out at certain parts. Zoro approached the wall just as the shopkeeper tossed a sword at her, causing her to stumble backwards and crash into one of the displays, sending its contents spewing on to the floor.

"How did you even fall over there?! You better clean that mess up and leave!" The owner yelled at her.

Zoro cleared his throat to get his attention, the owner turned his glare to him, "What do you want Marine?"

Zoro tossed the six bundles of berry notes on the counter, "I have six hundred thousand berries, sell me two swords."

The owner's demeanor changed immediately, smiling at Zoro, "Why of course! I'm Ippon Matsu, the owner of this shop! We've been in business for two hundred years! I'm sure we can find something for you!"

"I want something that's about this quality," Zoro showed him his last remaining blade.

"No… Way…" Matsu received the sword from Zoro, unsheathing it with his mouth wide open and his eyes popping out of his skull.

"Ahhh! That sword! Could it be?!" The girl rushed forward and slammed herself into the counter, grasping the sword away from Matsu. "I can't believe it! It's Wadou Ichimonji! It's among the twenty-one Great-grade swords!"

Matsu stared at her dumbly, "Indeed it is… How did a Marine like you get your hands on that? It's worth at least a million berries!"

"It's a memento from a friend," Zoro crossed his arms, indicating he was not going to say more than that.

"I… I see... I'm sorry," the girl passed the sword back to Zoro. That was when Zoro had a good look at her face, he flinched and stumbled backwards, regaining his footing at the last second.

"Are you alright?" The girl looked at him, concerned.

"Yeah… Yeah… You… You looked like my friend…" Zoro stuttered, her resemblance to Kuina was uncanny, it almost seemed to him like she had returned to life before him.

Unconcerned, the girl noticed the clothes Zoro was wearing. "Oh! You're a Marine right? I'm Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi! I'm currently stationed in this town! Are you new here?" She reached out a hand to shake.

Zoro grasped it lightly, raising an eyebrow, "No… I'm just stopping here for the meantime while my commander is receiving his report…"

"I see! You're looking for swords right? I can help you with that!" Tashigi gave him a bright smile.

Zoro was especially unnerved as she started looking around the shop for a sword befitting him. He went to the furthest corner away from her and began digging through a barrel full of swords.

"If you don't mind me saying, your three swords had reminded me of a certain bounty hunter around these parts," Tashigi said offhandedly, picking up a sword to examine it.

"Oh, who might that be?" Zoro glanced at her.

"Roronoa Zoro, he's rather infamous around these parts as a fearless killing machine."

Zoro sputtered as he stifled his laughter, turning away to dig through the barrel just as Tashigi approached him, digging through the barrel next to him.

"It's saddening to see swordsmen like him using swords only as a means of earning money, don't they all know the true value of the blade? The swords are crying, you know?" Tashigi frowned. "Why do the best blades all end up in the hands of criminals…"

"Heh, I wouldn't mind if there were a bit more criminals around, at least it gave me some business!" Matsu snorted from behind the counter. "Ever since your monster Captain showed up, it's already hard enough for me to get more customers!"

"Captain Smoker isn't a monster!" Tashigi protested.

"He's a Devil Fruit user! That qualifies him as a monster!" Matsu shot back.

Zoro grinned just as he grabbed onto a sword that felt different from the rest. He pulled it out of the stack and examined it, it was clearly of a higher quality than every other blade it was stored with.

"Ah! I remember that one! It's Sandai Kitetsu! What's it doing with all these cheap swords?" Tashigi gasped. "You sure you meant to put it here, mister?"

The owner seemed to be sweating buckets, "Ye… Yes…"

Zoro drew the sword slowly, holding it in front of him and scrutinizing the curve of the blade.

"It's cursed," he said simply.

Tashigi and Matsu stared at him in shock.

"You… You could tell?" Matsu gulped.

"I can feel it," Zoro lifted the blade up into the light, narrowing his eyes.

"It's as you said…" Matsu confessed. "The Kitetsu swords were known for their quality but they were also cursed. Many swordsmen who had chose to wield one ended up with tragic deaths, that's why you don't see anyone who would use a Kitetsu these days."

Tashigi gasped, looking at the sword in fear.

"I like it," Zoro grinned. "I think I'll take it!"

"Didn't you hear me?! It's cursed! If you get that sword, you're gonna end up with a horrible fate!" Matsu shook his fist at Zoro.

Zoro just grinned, "Then let's see which one is stronger: this sword's curse, or my will to overcome it?"

Zoro tossed the sword into the air, stretching out his arm into the path of the descending blade.

"Stop! You'll lose your arm!" Matsu screamed. Tashigi could only watch in horror as the sword spun towards Zoro's arm.

Zoro kept his eyes close as the blade descended upon his arm, the back of the blade spun along the outline of his arm before finally stabbing itself in the ground, leaving Zoro untouched.

"I'll take it!" Zoro grinned. Tashigi and Matsu had collapsed onto the ground in relief, Tashigi letting out the breath she had been unknowingly holding in.

"Owner! Get me another sword with that money!" Zoro grinned, already securing Sandai Kitetsu to his waist.

"Wait… Wait right here," Matsu disappeared into the back of the shop and returning quickly with a black sword clutched in his arms.

Matsu handed the sword to Zoro, "This is the best sword that my shop currently has, the Yubashiri."

"Ah! It's among the fifty Skillful-grade swords!" Tashigi gasped.

Matsu nodded, "It's been awhile since I've seen a swordsman like yourself… I'll give you both swords as a gift from me."

"Heh, you really won't take a single berry for these two swords?" Zoro grinned, attaching the third sword to his waist.

"Consider it as passing along one man's dream to another," Matsu smirked. "May I at least hear you name?"

Zoro glanced back at Tashigi, smirking, "Roronoa Zoro, I'm a Marine of the Straw Hat Marines."

"The pirate hunter? I'm honored," Matsu stuck out his hand and shook Zoro's hand.

"AHHHH! You! You! You!" Tashigi screamed, pointing her finger at Zoro.

"Yes, I'm the Roronoa Zoro you were talking about, and no, I'm no longer a bounty hunter," Zoro turned back to Tashigi.

"You! What's your motive?!" Tashigi demanded, storming in front of Zoro.

"Motive?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. "I have none, what kind of motive might I have?"

"Liar! There's no way a bounty hunter like you could have willingly joined the Marines!" Tashigi grabbed Zoro's collar and pulled him to face her.

"Tch! I joined already alright?! Your Captain himself was supposed to finalize it as well!" Zoro smacked her hand away. "Speaking of which, I need to report back to the base, you mind guiding me back?"

Tashigi glared at him, "You… I… ARGH! I won't accept this!"

Tashigi turned on her heels and walked out of the shop, not sparing a glance back.

"Jeez… This is why I don't get women…" Zoro sprinted out the shop after her.

* * *

"Wooow! So this is what the King of Pirates saw before his execution!" Luffy stood on top of the execution platform with his arms crossed.

"Hey you! Marine! Get down from there!" A voice shouted from among the crowd.

Luffy looked down to see a policeman waving his fist at him.

"Don't think just because you're a Marine we'll let you do whatever you want! Now get down before I-"

A mace smashed at the policeman's face, sending him tumbling on to the floor.

"I've finally found you, Luffy! It's been awhile," A woman stepped out from the crowd, hefting the mace on her shoulder.

She wore a white cowboy hat with a large red plume complimented with a revealing bikini top and tight pink pants that reached just past her knees.

Luffy raised an eyebrow, "Have I met you before?"

"Oh, how can you forget about me? I remember as though it was yesterday when you had handled me so roughly!" She squirmed as she hugged herself.

"You had me tied up so I couldn't resist, and then you left me there! How cruel of you, Luffy," She sighed, flicking her hair back with her hand.

"Er... I really don't remember you..." Luffy scratched his head.

"Gyahahaha! Even still, you should remember me right? You lousy Marine!" A cloaked figure stepped beside the woman.

"You…" Luffy gasped.

"Gyahahaha! Remember me now?!"

"Sorry, who are you?" Luffy laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment.

The cloaked figure cursed as he threw the cloak away, prompting a whole group behind him to do the same.

"Oh, it's just you, Buggy," Luffy grinned.

"So you remember me," Buggy sneered. "I have escaped and returned to take my revenge on you! You thought those pathetic ropes can hold me? I'll show you what happens when you underestimate me!"

"I still don't know who you are though," Luffy nodded to the woman.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Buggy screamed.

The woman sighed, "Don't you remember? You left me tied up alone on the beach and took Coby with you."

"Eh? I only remember tying up a really fat pirate there?" Luffy scratched his head.

"I am her you idiot! I'm Alvida!" Alvida screamed at him.

"EEEHHHH?!" Luffy's eyes popped out.

"Enough!" Buggy yelled. "We're both here to take our revenge on you! Prepare to die, Marine!"

Luffy crossed his arms, smirking at Buggy, "I've already beat you once, what makes you think I can't do it again?"

"Gyahahaha, do you see this crowd of people?" Buggy laughed, snapping his fingers. All of the pirates drew their weapons, herding the crowd towards the center of the town square. "Move from that platform and we'll kill everyone here."

"You! Leave them out of this! I'm the one you want!" Luffy clenched his fists.

"Gyahahaha! That's the reaction I wanted! Too bad for you Marine, I don't play fair! Cabaji!"

Cabaji appeared from behind Luffy, slamming down a block of wood on him.

Luffy had seen it with his Observation Haki and sidestepped Cabaji before kicking him off the platform.

"AHH! Cabaji!" Buggy screamed. "I said stay still Marine!"

"No, you told me to stay on the platform, I'm still on it aren't I?" Luffy stuck his tongue out at him.

"YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

"I still won't accept this!" Tashigi shook her head, leading Zoro towards Smoker's office.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you accept it or not, I'm a Marine now, so deal with it," Zoro smirked.

Tashigi clucked her tongue, knocking on the door before pushing it open.

"Captain Smoker! Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi reporting for duty!"

"You're late, Tashigi!" Smoker puffed on his two cigars, beckoning her in. Tashigi noticed three other people standing in the room at attention.

"You're late, marimo," Sanji smirked.

"Shut up, stupid cook," Zoro fell in beside him.

Smoker stepped in front of the Straw Hats, crossing his arms, "I understand you guys are the crew Commodore Luffy has gathered for his unit. Effective immediately, all of you are to be given the ranks of Commander."

Zoro grinned uncontrollably at Tashigi. She caught his grin and turned away, pouting.

"We have already prepared your uniforms, so change into them when you can."

Nami raised her hand, "Sir, is it a necessity to wear the uniform?"

Smoker snorted, Nami had came into the base carrying a huge bag of new clothes, he knew Zoro had told him about the extraordinary expenses the girl might have, but he didn't think it would be this serious.

On the other hand, Nami hadn't brought any spare clothes with her when they departed and thus she had to purchase the huge bag of clothes for herself to replace what she had lost.

"As long as you wear something with the Marine insignia, we're not too picky about it." Smoker grunted. "Now, I already gave your Commodore his new orders so he'll brief you guys when he gets back, if you want to, you guys can change now."

"Captain Smoker?" Usopp raised his hand shakily.

"What is it?" Smoker grunted, nodding towards him.

"Is it true that Luffy's grandfather is the Marine Hero Garp?"

Smoker's eyes widened at him for a moment, before face palming, "Did Vice Admiral Garp himself tell you about this?"

"Well… Sort of?" Usopp hesitated, Luffy had been the one to shout towards the Vice Admiral but it was Garp himself that declared Luffy was his grandson.

Smoker gritted his teeth, "That damn old man, he threatened everyone at Headquarters to keep it shut about it, and yet he himself just can't help but to brag it to everyone…"

Smoker sighed, "I'll have you know that the only person that didn't seem to try to keep that information a secret was Garp himself… It makes the rest of us look like idiots for going with it..."

"So Garp wasn't the one who kept our names from the newspaper?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Hell no!" Smoker wrung his hands in frustration. "Knowing him, he would've already appeared in the papers with a picture of himself and Luffy smiling next to each other! He would've also insisted the headlines to be something like "My grandson's the best" or something!" Smoker pinched his nose in frustration.

Smoker gave a long sigh, "The only reason he actually told Luffy to keep it a secret was because the Fleet Admiral threatened him to..."

"Captain Smoker!" A Marine rushed into the room, giving a quick salute. "Pirates have been spotted in the town square! It seems they have taken the whole town square hostage, including Commodore Luffy!"

"What?!" All of the Straw Hats gasped.

"Tch…" Smoker clucked his tongue. "Ready up unit 1 to block the harbor, take unit two to set up a perimeter around the town square, the rest will be on standby within shooting distance as backup. The four of you, come with me, we'll get your Commodore out of there."

"Captain Smoker!" Nami raised her hand.

"What is it, girl?" Smoker turned back.

"There'll be a storm brewing soon, will our ship be safe?"

Smoker raised an eyebrow, "You can predict the weather?"

Nami shook her head, "I can read it well enough to know what's coming."

"I see, don't worry about it, our harbor's pretty sturdy, your ship will be safe from the storm. Now, we need to arrest some pirates!"

"Yes sir!" All four saluted.

* * *

Smoker pushed open the door and ushered the Straw Hats inside the room. By the window, a few Marines had their rifles ready and one of them was surveying the square with a pair of binoculars.

"What's the situation?" Smoker asked, taking the binoculars from the Marine.

"The pirates have taken all the civilians in the square hostage, they seem to want the head of Commodore Luffy in exchange for the lives of the civilians." The marine saluted.

"Tch, we have to move fast then, is everyone in position?" Smoker tossed the binoculars back to the Marine.

"Yes sir," the marine fumbled with the binoculars before catching it.

"Get them ready to move once I give the signal. You four," Smoker pointed to the Straw Hats. "I need you guys as my backup, once I have their attention, get Luffy down from there," Smoker grunted.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Luffy was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, Buggy was standing over him, his foot on his shoulder.

"Now remember, move and everyone in the square will suffer," Buggy whispered in Luffy's ear. He drew out his sword, pointing it towards the sky.

"Everyone! Bear witness to this Marine's flashy execution! This is what happens to those that oppose us!"

All the pirates cheered and cursed at Luffy.

"Now is there any last words you would like to say? Mr. Marine?" Buggy smirked.

Luffy looked towards the crowd, all of their eyes watching him expectantly.

Buggy smirked, resting his sword on his shoulder, "Well, not that it matters, you're going to die any-"

"I AM THE ONE WHO SHALL STAND AT THE TOP OF THE MARINES!"

Everyone was taken aback by his sudden declaration.

"Tch, is that all you have to say you damn brat?!" Buggy's blade descended at Luffy's neck.

A scream of pain echoed through the square. Buggy looked up to see Smoker beating down his crew with his jitte, shielding the civilians from them. A few blocks away, Marines poured out of the alleys and surrounded the pirates, pushing them back into the square. Out of the corner of his eyes, both Sanji and Zoro were leaping up at him, fully intending on taking him down.

"Damn it! I'll at least take you with me, Straw Hat!" Buggy cut at Luffy's head again, knowing they won't reach him in time.

"LUFFY!" his crew cried.

Luffy noticed his hair standing just as he felt a prickle at the back of his neck. A flash of lightning struck the platform, setting it on fire and toppling it down towards the square. At the last second, Luffy had kicked himself off the platform and down into the crowd below, breaking free of his restraints at the same time.

"Straw Hat!"

Luffy turned to see Alvida grinning in front of him, just as rain started to fall.

"It's too bad you're on the side of the Marines, or we might've joined as a team," Alvida hefted her mace.

"Alvida, the team may have failed to catch you, but not with me here!" Luffy lunged towards Alvida, aiming for a punch at her abdomen. Alvida smirked and closed her eyes, letting Luffy's fist hit her, only for his fist to slip past her body without an impact.

"What?" Luffy turned back to look at Alvida.

"I ate the Sube Sube fruit, now my skin is flawlessly smooth, there's no way you can leave a mark on-"

"Sorry, teacher... **Armament!** "

Luffy punched again, his fist coated black. This time with a successful impact and sending her flying away.

"Oh crap, I used too much strength… I hope she's alright…" Luffy scratched his head, remembering Aokiji's words.

"Grrr… You damn Straw Hat!" Buggy pushed himself up from among the remains of the platform, charred but still alive.

"I'll get you for this! **Bara Bara Festival!** "

Just as he split himself, white smoke appeared from all around him. Buggy tried to punch through the smoke only to find out the smoke was restraining him from moving.

"What? What's this smoke?!" Buggy looked around in panic.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't put my friend in any more danger, filthy pirate." Smoker growled, smoke billowing out from his sleeves and spreading out to the town square.

"You! You're Smoker the White Hunter! Damn you Marines!" Buggy cried as the smoke covered him.

"Smokey! Thanks for the help!" Luffy grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"Heh, it's no big deal," Smoker grinned. "Men! Let's round up all these pirates!" Smoker yelled, slamming an unconscious Buggy on the ground.

"Captain Smoker!" A marine ran up to Smoker, saluting. "Some of the pirates managed to break through the encirclement! They're spreading themselves out to avoid capture!"

Smoker clucked his tongue, "Have units 2 and 3 move in on the square, try to get as many of them as you can, we already have their captain here." Smoker gestured to Buggy.

The marine saluted and dashed off back into the crowd.

"Luffy!"

Luffy turned to see his crewmates running towards him.

"You bastard! Getting yourself caught like that!" Sanji smacked him on the head.

"You should have just beat them all down!" Zoro frowned.

"Do you know how worried we were?!" Nami shook his shoulders.

"I... I knew all along he would be fine!" Usopp crossed his arms.

"Shishishi, sorry guys, I'm fine now!" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Heh, it seems you were right about the storm, girlie," Smoker looked up at the rain.

"Of course, I'm the best navigator you can get!" Nami thumped her chest proudly.

"I guess we're grounded until the storm lifts," Smoker frowned. "You guys better get back to base while I clear these pirates out. TASHIGI!"

Tashigi ran up to Smoker and saluted, "Captain! We've got most of them cornered, some of the pirate lieutenants and Alvida herself managed to escape, however."

"That matters not, they won't go anywhere in this storm, tell the men to continue searching!"

"Yes, sir!" Tashigi turned to leave.

"Wait, I'll go with the men. I want you to guide them back to base, they're still not outfitted yet." Smoker grunted.

"Captain…" Tashigi glared at Zoro, who returned it with a smirk. "Do I have to?"

"Of course! I need to rally the men, so hop to it!"

"Aye… Sir…" Tashigi sighed, watching Smoker run back into the crowd.

"So… Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, we're in your care," Zoro grinned.

"Ugh… Follow me…" Tashigi heaved another sigh, leading the Straw Hats out of the town square.

Nami noticed Luffy staring off into one of the alleys, not following them.

"Luffy?" Nami tapped his shoulder.

He glanced at her before turning back to the alley, "You guys go ahead first, I'll catch up."

She looked in the direction of the alley but didn't see anything. Shrugging her shoulders, she ran to join the rest.

* * *

Luffy stepped into the alley slowly, his Marine cloak already drenched from the rain.

"Luffy," A cloaked man stepped out from the darkness, a tattoo was visible on the left side of his face.

"Dad…" Luffy narrowed his eyes.

"So you've chosen to follow Gramp's footsteps…" Dragon seemed to have a disapproving look in his eyes.

"I won't be a pawn of the World Government, if that's what you're worried about," Luffy crossed his arms.

"I'm not worried about that, Luffy. You can do whatever you want with your life, you're already an adult." Dragon sighed. "I know gramps wanted to protect you by bringing you into the Marines, knowing what would happen if the world found out you're my son. He hoped that you could be strong enough so that the Government would see you as an invaluable asset against me."

"I won't let them use me against you, dad." Luffy frowned.

"Heh, thanks for that, Luffy." Dragon smirked. "But things are much more complicated than you think. They'll find ways to make you do what they want even if you don't want to, that's why I've been fighting them."

Luffy furrowed his brows, "I became a Marine to protect innocents, they can't make me do anything outside of it."

Dragon grinned at his son's confidence, "Listen, Luffy, the Marines are good as a whole, but the Government itself is corrupted which is why corrupt Marines like Nezumi exists. As long as the Government doesn't change, people like him will always be there."

"How did you know?" Luffy gasped.

"It wouldn't do if I didn't at least take note of what my son's doing now, would I?" Dragon grinned at him. "I have contacts everywhere, after all."

Dragon raised his head to look at the sky, just as a lightning struck nearby, "I need to go now, Luffy. Think about what I said, though you don't need to do anything right now. Go out into the world and see how it's like yourself."

Dragon raised his arm and a gust of wind blew past him, blowing Luffy away towards the Marine base.

"Oh, and say hi to gramps for me," Dragon grinned as Luffy disappeared into the sky.

When the winds died down, Luffy found himself sitting in front of his crew, all looking at him with shocked expressions.

"Luffy? How did you get here?" Sanji raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, er… The wind blew me here! Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled, rubbing his head.

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

* * *

"This will be your rooms for tonight, your outfits are already prepared in your rooms." Tashigi gestured to the two doors facing each other in the corridor. "The left one is for Nami, you guys will use the right room."

"Nami-swaan, would you like me to warm the bed for you?" Sanji spun towards her.

"No thanks, and don't you dare come here!" Nami slammed the door in Sanji's face.

Luffy burst into their room and immediately slumped on to the bed, "Waaaaahh… It's so long since I've bunked in a Marine base, I almost forgotten how great the beds were!"

Sanji walked over and picked up the white Marine cloak that was left folded on the bed, he looked down at his black suit, tugging at it to compare.

"Ugh… I guess I'll need to change my suit's color…"

Usopp grasped the cloak with trembling hands, "I'd never have thought… I could become a Marine… And a Commander at that…"

Zoro went over to his cloak and shed off his Marine jacket without hesitation before donning on the cloak over his undershirt.

"Commander Zoro!" Tashigi yelled from the corridor.

Zoro turned, narrowing his eyes, "What do you want?"

"I formally request a duel with you!" Tashigi stared straight at Zoro.

"Huh, why?" Zoro grinned, folding his arms across his chest.

"If I win this duel, you'll pass Wadou Ichimonji to me!"

Zoro walked up to her, pulling out Wadou Ichimonji from his waist with its sheath. He held it in front of him to show her the sword, smirking, "I refuse."

"WHY?!" Tashigi yelled at him.

Zoro tilted his head at her, "I already told you this was a memento from a friend and I made a promise to her with this sword. To lose this sword to anyone would mean that I'm trampling on that promise to her."

He unsheathed the sword, holding it in front of him and pointing it towards the ground, "If you want to take this sword from me, you'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands."

Zoro slammed the sword back in its sheath before turning back to a fuming Sanji, "Oi! You stupid marimo! How dare you talk like that to a lady!"

"Tch, shut it shitty cook, this is none of your business!" Zoro turned back to point a finger at Tashigi, "And you! Stop bugging me already! The fact that you look like my friend is already a huge problem for me!"

"What? I… I look like your friend? The one you made the promise with?" Tashigi gasped.

"YES! So stop bugging me about the sword!" Zoro slammed the door, shutting Tashigi out of the room.

"Stupid marimo…" Sanji muttered, glaring at Zoro.

"Shut up, shitty cook," Zoro stormed back to his bed.

"Hey guys! What do you think?" Usopp turned around and stuck his chest out, oblivious to the atmosphere. He had already changed out of his overalls into full Marine gear.

He had replaced his bandana with a white Marine cap and switched his overalls for a white Marine t-shirt with a blue sash tied around his waist. He had a pair of baggy cargo pants with many pockets lining it that held his multitude of special bullets and His Marine cloak draped over his shoulders to finish his look.

"Huh, you don't actually look bad," Zoro grinned.

"I'll just look weird with this over my shoulders…" Sanji groaned. "I'll look for new outfits in the morning."

"So we're finally heading to the Grand Line tomorrow…" Luffy grinned from the bed. "That's where our real mission begins."

"Real mission?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! The people there are much, much stronger than the ones here, we'll all have to get stronger if we want to beat them!" Luffy grinned.

"So what are our orders? That Smoker guy said you'll brief us," Sanji placed his cloak carefully on the hanger by his bed.

"Eh, I'll tell you guys in the morning, Nami's not here anyway." Luffy rolled over on the bed.

"Nami-swaaan! I'll go bring her some snacks!" Sanji pirouetted his way out of the room.

"That damn pervert cook…" Zoro sighed.

"So we're really headed for the Grand Line…" Usopp clenched his fists. "To become as great as my dad, I won't back down!"

"Shishishi! Let's all do our best then! We're setting off tomorrow!" Luffy beamed at his crewmates.


	11. Chapter 11: Once Again, Grand Line

_A/N: Hey guys! I'll use this moment to answer a few questions I saw in the reviews:_

 _Yes, Luffy does know Sabo and Ace. The whole childhood thing did happen in this story, but I don't plan to cover it. Probably... Maybe... Most likely not at least :P_

 _Yes, Luffy will get a fruit eventually. In fact, I already planned out which one and how he'll get it from the moment I started this story._

 _Next is about Robin of course, hehehehehe, you guys have no idea how much I had planned in detail about what's going to happen to her. Lots of evil things in fact, muahahaha! I might, in fact, just kill her off. Muahahahaha! *cough* Nah just kidding, she's too cool. But the fact still remains that I already have plans for her, you'll just have to wait and see. *evil snickers*_

 _I've also seen some people wishing the side stories to be canon to my main story and all I will say is this: it's all up to you to decide if it's canon or not, I had already planned to write it in such a way that neither story will deny the other's existence. At least that's what I planned to do, so if you do find something in either stories that don't match up... Do forgive me :P_

 _As usual, Enjoy! :D_

* * *

Tashigi stood outside the Straw Hats' room. She had her hand raised to knock but had stopped mid-way, remembering her exchange with Zoro last night. She knew she had been insensitive, he had already mentioned about the importance of Wadou Ichimonji clearly back in the Arms Shop but she still demanded the duel from him. There was no way for him to have a positive image of her now.

What made it worse was that he was now his superior, not a ruthless bounty hunter she had heard so much about. Whether she liked it or not, he was one of the Marines now.

She sighed before finally rapping her knuckles on the door.

"Come in," A voice answered from the other side.

Tashigi hesitated, are they really going to let her in like this? Then again, they didn't know it was her anyway.

Tashigi pushed open the door quickly before saluting, "Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi reporting, Captain Smoker requests for Commodore Luffy in his office."

Tashigi had pointedly avoided looking at the part of the room she knew Zoro was at. She breathed a sigh of relief as she found the other three in the room had already dressed themselves.

"Tashigi-chaaaan!" Sanji spun towards the door. "May I interest you in some breakfast?"

Tashigi took a hesitant step back from him, "Err… I'm sorry, sir, I already ate…"

Sanji collapsed on to the floor, crying in front of a confused Tashigi. Luffy stepped over him casually as he pulled on his cloak, "Thanks Tashigi, I'll head there now."

Tashigi watched Luffy leave before turning back to look at the still crying Sanji, unsure of what to do.

"Oi," Zoro called out from the room, getting Tashigi's attention.

She turned towards him expecting him to be upset at her presence, only to be taken aback to see him grinning at her.

"That perverted guy over there needs some new clothes, why don't you help him go get some?"

Tashigi didn't have time to react before Sanji suddenly stood up to grasp her hands, "It will be an honor to accompany you, mademoiselle."

Tashigi quickly pulled her hands back, glaring at Zoro, "Fo… Follow me…"

Zoro smirked as he watched Sanji pirouette out after her, "Heh, that should be plenty enough revenge for yesterday."

* * *

Luffy barged into Smoker's room without knocking, "Smokeeyy, you looking for me?"

Smoker looked up from his desk of paperwork, grinning at him. Luffy noticed two cigars that had been extinguished recently smouldering on the ashtray in front of him.

"Yeah, sit down, it's about our plans today," Smoker gestured to the chair in front of him, kicking himself back and leaning on the chair.

Luffy gingerly sat himself down in front of Smoker, grinning uncontrollably.

"Can't wait to go back to the Grand Line?" Smoker noticed his grin.

"Yep! I can't wait to see everyone again!" Luffy grinned.

"Heh, how many of your Vivre cards did you give out?" Smoker smirked at him, pulling out a small piece of paper and flipping it around his fingers.

Luffy shrugged, "I dunno, I just gave it to everyone who asked, shishishishi!"

Smoker sighed, shaking his head though a smile still stuck on his face, "So what are you planning for the Grand Line?"

"I'm gonna beat up and arrest all the bad guys!" Luffy said simply.

Smoker smirked at that, anyone who saw Luffy for the first time would always underestimate him due to his easygoing nature and age, but he already knew first hand how serious that mistake was. The boy that sat in front of him was no mere boy. Having survived Garp's training from hell was already a miracle in itself, the Vice Admiral had definitely not gone easy on his grandson at all, most people might have mistook Garp for trying to kill him.

Smoker remembered the short time that Luffy had been attached to his unit along with Hina. He had looked down on the boy, thinking of him as nothing but a pompous and arrogant kid that was riding his grandfather's coat tails. How wrong he was, Luffy was most definitely not human. No human could possess such strong will and tenacity in that small body of his and in that short time he was with Smoker, Luffy had managed to gain his respect and more.

Smoker sighed again, "Anyway, down to business." Smoker stuck the small card away in his jacket before pushing a piece of paper towards him with his report of Buggy's capture.

"I managed to get Buggy but Alvida and a large portion of the crew managed to escape due to the storm yesterday, which I am really embarrassed about, mind you. I'm crediting Buggy's capture to both of us but I'll be giving you the bounty money."

Luffy shook his head quickly, "You should keep it Smokey, I didn't do much yesterday."

"Heh, don't be modest on me now, I know you can't put in a request for monetary support at any Marine base so this would be one of your only sources of income. I insist," Smoker pulled out a bag and placed it on the table.

"This is the other half of the bounty, seven and a half million," Smoker grinned.

Luffy shook his head again, "Smokey, I know you're doing this for me, but I insist you keep it. You did most of the work this time and in fact, don't even include my name in your report. I want you to take full credit for it."

Smoker stared at him for awhile, letting the silence drag on for awhile.

Smoker finally slumped his shoulders, "There's no convincing you, is there?"

"Nope! And don't go giving that to any of my crew, I won't forgive you otherwise!" Luffy grinned while wagging a finger at him.

"Tch…" Smoker turned away, his thoughts seen through. "At least take a part of it? I don't need this much..."

"We'll make do with what we have, money hasn't been an issue so far," Luffy grinned.

Smoker sighed before placing the bag back under the table, "I'll still include your name in the report, you did, after all, kept Buggy away from the civilians. I'm not backing down on this one."

"Fine," Luffy pouted at him, crossing his arms.

"With that aside, about you heading to the Grand Line…."

Luffy sat upright, eyes sparkling at Smoker.

"Your navigator, does she have any experience navigating in the Grand Line?"

"Ehh…" Luffy scratched his head, "I don't think so…"

"Alright, I'll get one of my navigators to give her a run down of it," Smoker grunted, popping an unlit cigar in his mouth. "My men should be supplying your ship with rations now. Once it's done, my ship will tow yours across the Calm Belt then you can make your way to Twin Cape."

Luffy nodded, "And Buggy?"

"He'll be on my ship, once I've seen you off at the Grand Line, I'll drop him at the nearest Marine base for transfer to Impel Down."

"Ah, you'll be returning to Logue Town after that?" Luffy tilted his head.

Smoker sighed, "I've been stationed here after all, unless something comes up, I'm not allowed to leave."

"I see…" Luffy sounded rather disappointed.

Smoker glanced up at Luffy to see his grin had never left his face. He pointed a finger at him, "Don't come up with any ideas just to make me stay there now, you hear?"

"Shishishi, sure, sure, Smokey," Luffy laughed.

"I'm serious! I don't need any more problems on my plate now!" Smoker warned.

"Alright, alright! I'll be good!" Luffy waved his hands in a placating gesture, his grin still not leaving his face.

Smoker let out another sigh, "In the meantime, why don't you go brief your crew? I'm assuming you haven't done that yet?"

"Ah, that's right!" Luffy gasped, just remembering.

"Go on then, I don't have anything else for you," Smoker shooed him away.

"Shishishi, thanks again, Smokey! I'll see you later!" Luffy dashed out of the room, waving back.

* * *

"YOU EXPECT ME TO ACCEPT THIS CRAP?!" Sanji yelled at the terrified Marine.

Tashigi was staring incredulously at the Straw Hats' cook berating at the Marines transporting food to their ship. According to him, the supplies they were carrying were "garbage", "disgusting" and "inedible" and would insult him as a chef to even cook them for his crew.

Tashigi had led the cook to the quartermaster's office with his absurd request for having a uniform "befitting of a dashing fighting cook like himself". He ended up choosing the normal chef's jacket and got himself a few sets of white colored suits as well. That was when he noticed the Marines that were transporting the food to the ship.

Tashigi watched in disbelief as Sanji started digging through the food that had been packed for them and lamented over the fact that there weren't enough competent chefs in existence. He started sorting through the food with a critical eye and began sorting them through to another box.

"Ummm… Commander Sanji? I think it might be better if you go a little easier on them…" Tashigi tried placating the angry chef.

Sanji turned to look at her with hearts in his eyes. "Of course, Tashigi-chan!"

Tashigi grimaced and took a step back, she still couldn't get used to his outbursts. She felt rather frustrated that he would treat her differently just because she's a girl, but he had claimed that it was his chivalrous spirit that made him so.

"Hi Sanji!" A voice called out from behind. Luffy strolled towards them with a huge grin plastered on his face. "I'm hungry! You have anything to eat?"

"Can't you just eat at the mess hall?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

Luffy stuck his tongue out, "Their food isn't as good as yours…"

Sanji glanced at Tashigi triumphantly, "I'll make you something later, you're welcome to join us too, Tashigi-chaaaan!"

"I… I told you… I already ate…" Tashigi stuttered.

"It's ok, I'll just make you something light!" Sanji spun around her, hearts floating off him.

"My… My Captain won't allow it…"

"That's alright! We'll just invite him along too!" Luffy grinned.

"That's… I… Well… Alright then…" Tashigi slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Great! I'll go get the rest! Meet you on the ship!" Luffy dashed towards the base.

* * *

"Naaaaamiiii!" Luffy barged into her room without knocking.

Nami was sitting on her bed with piles of clothes around her, her hands frozen in mid-sewing.

"Luffy! At least knock, will you?" Nami sighed at his tactlessness, looking back down on the shirt she was working on and continuing her sewing.

"Shishishi, sorry, sorry!" Luffy scratched his head apologetically. "Anyway, Sanji's preparing breakfast on the ship, so come down when you're ready!"

He didn't wait for a reply and left the room, shoving open the door on the opposite side.

"Usopp! Zoro! Breakfast!" Luffy yelled.

"Come on, get up, get up! Let's go, let's go!" Luffy jumped around the room.

"We heard you, Luffy…" Zoro yawned, still on the bed.

"Luffy… I don't look weird, right?" Usopp was posing in front of the mirror with his new outfit.

"Not at all! Come on, Sanji's going to make breakfast!" Luffy disappeared back out the corridor.

"Hehehe… Commander Usopp! That doesn't sound too bad huh, Zoro?" Usopp stuck his chest out proudly.

"Yeah, yeah… Now let's go before that Commodore of ours eat all the food…" Zoro grabbed Usopp by the arm and pried him away from the mirror forcefully, joining Nami that had just exited out from her room as well.

* * *

"Food! Food! Food! Food! Food!" Luffy chanted, banging the table with his hand.

"Be patient! I'm working on it!" Sanji yelled back, a tick on his head.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the pouting Tashigi, she had pointedly avoided looking at him the moment she had sat down opposite him at the table. Beside her sat a disgruntled Smoker, who had been dragged to the ship despite all his protests by Luffy.

"Luffy, I get the Captain, but why is **she** here?" Zoro pointed an accusing finger at Tashigi.

"Don't point fingers at her you uncivilized brute!" Sanji smacked at his hand.

"Shut up, you shitty cook and cook your damn food!" Zoro yelled back.

"Sorry about that…" Nami apologized. "They're always like this…"

Tashigi waved her hands, "Ah, no, no! I don't mind, I should be the one apologizing for intruding!"

"Nonsense! Eating is more fun with more people!" Luffy laughed, banging the table again.

Tashigi sighed before turning to glance at her Captain. "You're not smoking, Captain?" Tashigi gasped as she finally noticed.

"Hmph, I'm fulfilling a promise," Smoker grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "Don't get used to it."

Tashigi gasped, the last time when she told him to stop smoking out of concern for his health, Smoker had just snorted at her and lit up another cigar to put in his mouth. He never listened to anyone's advice about his smoking habits, so what promise could have made him stop?

Before she could ask, Sanji placed down his specially prepared breakfast for them. It looked like a simple breakfast of toast, eggs and ham but everything was prepared with Sanji's utmost skill.

"I take it you haven't briefed them yet?" Smoker sighed, munching down on his toast.

"Nope!" Luffy grinned, already stuffing his mouth with food.

"I'll do it then…" Smoker crossed his arms. "I'm not sure if you guys are aware yet, but all of you are being reassigned to the Grand Line starting today."

All the Straw Hats nodded.

"Grand Line's a place that's very different compared to East Blue. Strong people are common there and the weather there is no joke either." Smoker glanced pointedly at Nami. She nodded as she got the hint.

"I heard that other than Luffy himself, none of you have gone to the Grand Line?"

They nodded again.

Smoker massaged his temples, "I won't lie, at your current level, you guys will come across people that would steamroll past you without a problem. In order to survive the Grand Line, all of you need to get stronger to face these monsters."

Smoker turned to look Nami dead in the eye, "Nami, you're the navigator. You will be the most important member while at sea, the whole crew's fate will rest in your navigation skills. I'll have someone sent down to teach you about what to expect there."

Nami gulped, fully understanding the burden she carries while they're at sea.

"In a while, I'll be towing your ship across the Calm Belt to get to the Grand Line. Once we're there, you guys will be on your own."

"What's the Calm Belt?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"It's a stretch of sea that lies on both sides of the Grand Line that is absolutely calm. I'm saying no waves, no wind, nothing, just completely calm weather and waters. That is what makes it so hard to enter the Grand Line, mostly only Marine ships that had pedals installed can safely navigate through the Calm Belt." Smoker grinned.

"Not to mention, it's also the breeding ground for the Sea Kings," Nami sighed.

"Sea Kings?! Will we be alright?" Usopp gasped.

"We'll be fine, everything's accounted for," Smoker grinned assuringly. "Besides, in the Grand Line, Sea Kings will be the least of your worries, your Commodore would know."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, scratching at his head.

"I better get going then, thanks for the great food," Smoker pushed himself up from the table. He turned and frowned at Tashigi still stuffing her mouth.

"TASHIGI! We're going!"

Tashigi turned to look at her Captain with tear-filled eyes, "But.. But Captain… It's so goooood…"

Smoker sighed before dragging a sobbing Tashigi off the ship.

* * *

Luffy sat on the figurehead of Merry, watching the sea as Smoker's ship pulled them along the Calm Belt. Sanji stepped up behind him, his hands in his pockets.

"Commodore, I have lunch ready."

Luffy turned towards the grinning Sanji. He had already changed out from his usual black suit to one of the standard chef outfits the Marines wore. Underneath, he wore a white dress shirt with a blue tie and a chef's button jacket over it. A blue cloth was tied around his waist to stop the jacket from fluttering and below it was a pair of white dress pants. His Marine cloak hung proudly on his shoulders, now no longer looking out of place.

Luffy hopped off his perch and followed Sanji into the dining room where everyone else was already seated, waiting for Luffy.

"I propose we do an official 'entering-the-Grand-Line' celebration right after we crossed the Calm Belt." Sanji grinned, gesturing towards a barrel he had stowed away at the corner of the kitchen.

"That's a great idea, Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed, already munching on his food.

"So where's Smoker taking us, Luffy?" Nami asked, propping her head up with her hand.

Nami had similarly changed out of her usual outfit to better match her Marine status, she had apparently spent the whole of this morning sewing on Marine insignia on most of the clothes she bought, not wanting to waste them. Right now she wore a white tank top with the word "Marines" emblazoned on the chest and a pair of tight blue shorts. She had opted not to wear her Marine cloak for now, leaving it inside her room.

"Oh, Nami! Your tattoo changed!" Luffy noted, looking at her bare shoulder. Where there had once been the mark of the Arlong pirates now lay a spiral tattoo that looked like a pinwheel with tangerines sprouting at one of the tips.

She glanced at her shoulder, "Yeah, I had it changed back at my village after the party. What do you think?"

"It's way better than that Arlong one! Shishishi!" Luffy grinned.

"Hehe, thanks. So where are we going?" Nami asked again, grinning back.

"Ah, that's right, they taught you about the log pose and everything back at Loguetown right?"

"A crash course more like, they taught me the basics," Nami groaned.

Smoker had kept his word and had one of the Marine navigators come down to their ship to tutor her in navigating the Grand Line as much as he could. The amount of information she had to absorb was astronomical, the Grand Line seemed to be a navigator's nightmare at first glance. There was nothing that she could trust other than her crew and the log pose. Grand Line was already proving itself to be a dreadful place.

"Yep, we're supposed to choose our own route here so we're going to head to the very start of the Grand Line! Twin Cape!" Luffy punched his hand in the air.

"I still can't believe we're actually going to the Grand Line…" Usopp wondered, his eyes staring at the roof.

"Heh, things are just going to get more interesting from now," Sanji grinned.

"I'll definitely get stronger and face him again…" Zoro grunted.

Luffy grinned at his crew, everyone of them had a crazy dream they wanted to fulfill, each of them so different and yet here they are as one crew.

"LUFFY! WE JUST PASSED THE CALM BELT!" Smoker yelled from his ship. Everyone of the Strawhats grinned, looking back at the barrel.

They went out on the deck with Sanji rolling the barrel out of the kitchen. He propped it up on the deck in the middle of them, placing his foot at the top of it.

"To find the All Blue," He grinned.

"To become the greatest swordsman," Zoro grunted, similarly placing his foot on it.

"To draw a map of the world!" Nami chuckled.

"To… To become the greatest warrior of the seas!" Usopp yelled.

"To become a Marine Admiral!" Luffy laughed.

All five of them raised their foot with a yell and brought it down on the barrel with a satisfying crunch.

* * *

"You can already see it from here, Twin Cape is that mountain over there," Smoker pointed at the looming silhouette in the distance.

"I'll leave you guys here, I'll be dropping this clown off to be transferred to Impel Down." Smoker pointed downwards at where Buggy was held in the ship.

"Thanks for everything, Smokey! I'll see you again! Maybe you'll get a new post soon!" Luffy waved, jumping up and down on the prow of the ship.

Everyone of the Straw Hats stood on the deck of the ship to see Smoker off.

"Commander Roronoa Zoro!" Tashigi shouted from the ship. "I apologize for what I've said, please forgive my rudeness!"

"Che… That girl… It would've been fine if you left it at that…" Zoro cursed under his breath.

Zoro turned his back to her, waving her off.

"Heh… I didn't know you could get embarrassed," Sanji smirked.

"Shut it shitty cook! You wanna go?!" Zoro unsheathed his blade.

"I'll take you on, stupid marimo!" Sanji shook his fist at him.

"See you soon Smokey! And everyone else too!" Luffy waved with both his hands as the ship got further and further.

* * *

"So that's Twin Capes?" Nami gasped at the mountain. It reached up high into the clouds and there was a waterway running down the valley the middle, flowing down towards the ocean from the mountain.

"Yep! This is where we'll start!" Luffy yelled.

Nami looked down at the log pose strapped to her wrist, it was her duty as the navigator to watch over it at all times.

"Once the log pose is set, we'll be able to head out!" Luffy grinned.

"Hey, I see a lighthouse up ahead," Zoro pointed towards the prow of the ship. A small lighthouse loomed beside the valley, as if guarding it.

"You've been here before, Luffy?" Sanji asked, joining them on the deck.

"Nope, this is my first time this far out from the Headquarters! Other than a few times out on patrol and some meetings with the Warlords, I didn't really get out much. Shishishi" Luffy scratched his head.

A loud bellow came from the front of the ship.

"What… What was that?" Usopp stuttered, scanning the front of the ship.

"It sounded like a whale…" Zoro crossed his arms.

"I don't see a whale?" Sanji narrowed his eyes at the horizon.

The water in front of the ship exploded up without any warning as a huge whale surfaced with a loud bellow. The whale was completely black in color and his huge size easily blocked the huge valley of the mountain, his eye alone was already several times bigger than Merry. At the front of his head, a number of barely healed scars could also be seen.

"My ears!" Nami gasped, covering her ears to block out the whale's loud bellow.

"It's a huge whale!" Luffy's eyes sparkled.

"What's it doing here?!" Sanji exclaimed.

"We're going to crash into it!" Usopp cried.

"Turn the ship around!" Zoro yelled, already heading for the wheel.

As sudden as it surfaced, the whale dived back down under the water again with another loud bellow. The Straw Hats stood on the deck, unsure of what to do.

As the ship got closer to the lighthouse, an old man appeared from within it. He wore a pink shirt with yellow and green stripes and had flower petals sticking out of his head where his balding line stopped. He had a rather impressive muscular body that was no doubt doubly more impressive when he was younger. He also had a prominently larger lower lip and on his face rested a pair of black framed glasses. His white beard reached below his neck and split into two parts, pointing in opposite directions sideways.

"Hmm? What are Marines doing all the way out here?" The old man scratched his head.

"Look! A flower!" Sanji yelled, pointing at the old man.

"What are you Marines doing here?" The old man crossed his arms.

"Oh, it's just a person…" Sanji looked disappointed.

"Hey, old man! We're here to lock our log pose!" Luffy yelled, waving his hand at him.

"Huh, I thought you guys might've came to help me with the whaling problem…" the old man huffed, clearly disappointed.

"Whaling problem?" The crew echoed.

"Indeed, my name is Crocus, I'm the keeper for this lighthouse. The whale that you saw earlier was Laboon, he's an Island Whale that has been living here for the past few decades or so."

"I see, we're Marines from the Straw Hat unit, what's this 'whaling problem' you said?" Sanji stepped up to the side of the ship.

"There's a pair of crooks that are trying to kill Laboon for awhile now and I've already got my hands full taking care of the whale to catch them."

"You're taking care of the whale?" Usopp gasped, wondering how much food the whale actually needs.

"More of watching over him than anything else." Crocus grunted. "You see that waterway that's coming down the mountain? If you can't cross the Calm Belt, that's what you'll use to get into the Grand Line. Usually, pirates would be the ones who would use this route."

"Eh?! From that waterway? How did they get up the mountain in the first place?" Nami gasped.

Crocus smirked, "There's a reverse current that leads up to the mountain from each of the seas, any ship that gets sucked into the current will be carried up the mountain before ending up down here. Anyway, there's a couple of pirates that came here with Laboon quite some time ago, they were quite a lively bunch too if I say so myself."

"And Laboon?" Sanji raised an eyebrow, watching the sea in case the whale comes back.

"Laboon had accompanied them from West Blue, apparently he had been separated by his pod and he had seen the pirates as his new family. But the crew had feared the Grand Line would be too dangerous to take him along, so they left him in my care. They had promised to return for Laboon once they sailed around the world but they never came back…" Crocus sighed.

"So Laboon has been waiting…" Zoro frowned.

"Indeed, for fifty years, no less. He still believes his friends would show up till this day."

"FIFTY YEARS?!" The Straw Hats exclaimed.

"Indeed, and yet he still waits, bellowing at the mountain hoping his friends will return." Crocus sighed.

"To have so much faith in his friends, Laboon you're so great!" Usopp cried, tears spilling out.

"So these pirates… Are they..." Nami gasped.

Crocus shook his head slowly, "They most probably died while in the Grand Line… Even if they hadn't, I doubt they would come back to this place..."

"Have you not told the whale?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

Crocus looked towards the sea sadly, "I have tried, but Laboon would not listen to me. He insists that his friends are still alive on the other side of the world and spends everyday crashing himself against the mountain."

"That would explain the scars…" Sanji frowned.

"What about the ones trying to kill him?" Nami asked, leaning against the railing of the ship.

"I don't know why they are doing this, but they usually show up during this time as Laboon surfaces from underwater." Crocus furrowed his brows. "Don't suppose you Marines can lend me a hand?"

"How do they look like?" Zoro grinned, already unclasping his sword.

"Like that," Crocus pointed towards the male and female couple drifting on a raft, each one holding a bazooka in their hands.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO SOONER?!" Nami yelled at him.

Luffy ran up to the side of the ship, leaning over the railings, "Hey guys!" Luffy waved at them.

The two turned to look at a boy in Marine uniform waving at them.

"Miss Wednesday, that Marine seems to be waving at us," The man said to his partner. He had an ornate crown on top of his messy orange hair that was complimented by his royal green clothes.

"It does seem so, Mr. 9," The woman replied back. Her long, blue hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore a fur coat over her spaghetti strap dress.

"What do you suggest we do?" Mr. 9 narrowed his eyes at the Marines.

"Perhaps it will be best for us to wave back?" Miss Wednesday suggested.

Both of them began waving back to Luffy enthusiastically.

"Hey! They waved back! They're such nice guys!" Luffy grinned.

"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!" His crew shouted at him incredulously.

Usopp stepped towards the side, looking down at them, "Why are you trying to kill the whale?"

Both the man and woman stared at each other before starting to break down on the raft.

"Oh, it is a rather terrible story, you see," Mr. 9 sobbed.

"Indeed, a very, very terrible story," Miss Wednesday sobbed beside him.

"We come from a far away town, you see," Mr. 9 pointed towards the horizon.

"Indeed, a very, very far away town," Miss Wednesday nodded.

"We were sent here on a very important mission, you see," Mr. 9 wiped away his tears.

"Indeed, a very important and secret mission," Miss wednesday dabbed her tears with a handkerchief.

"SHUT UP AND GET TO THE POINT!" The Straw Hats yelled at them.

"My, so inconsiderate," Mr. 9 huffed indignantly.

"The town that we came from is short on food, if we can kill the whale, it would feed the town for the next two to three years." Miss Wednesday explained.

"Oh, so you guys need food?" Sanji asked, suddenly alert.

"Indeed, if we cannot find food soon, our whole town will starve!" Mr. 9 started sobbing.

"That is pretty serious, but isn't there anyway you can get food other than from the whale?" Usopp asked.

"Unfortunately no, our town's main source of income is from bounty hunting but there hasn't been a successful hunt in a long while, our town is flat broke… If we have no bounty to turn in, you Marines won't pay us." Miss wednesday shook her head sadly.

"Oh," Luffy hit his palm with a fist. "If that's the case, we have money and food too! There's no need for you to kill Laboon!"

"Luffy! Are you sure? You're going to give away our supplies to people you barely know?!" Nami grabbed his arm quickly.

"Why not? We don't really need that much money, do we?" Luffy tilted his head at Nami.

"Not really, but…" Nami turned away from her Commodore, biting at her sleeves. "All that money…." Nami cried.

"You… You'll do that for us?" Mr. 9 gasped.

"We can't see a bunch of people starve and not do anything, right?" Sanji grinned.

"As long as you agree to not hurt Laboon," Usopp nodded, crossing his arms.

Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday looked at each other, "Thank you Marines! We are in your debt!" They bowed their heads on their raft.

"So where's your town?" Luffy asked, turning back to them.

"It's at Whiskey Peak, on Cactus Island, it should only be a few days sail away from here." Mr. 9 answered, rowing their raft towards their ship.

"Nami, set a course for Whiskey Peak, that shall be the start of our patrol route," Luffy grinned at her.

"Aye… Commodore…" Nami was slumped on the deck, tears streaming down her cheeks while drawing circles on the ground. "All that money…"

A loud boom sound suddenly echoed from under the sea.

"What… What was that?" Usopp stuttered.

"It's Laboon, he's crashing himself into the mountain again…" Crocus sighed, taking off his shirt before diving straight into the sea.

"Woah! What's that old man going to do?!" Sanji ran to the other side of the ship, watching the water.

The booming sound continued for a few minutes as Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday pulled themselves up on to their ship. Everyone stared into the water as the boom continued for awhile before it got softer and softer and then stopping abruptly.

Laboon surfaced after awhile, this time less violently than the first. Crocus stood on top of him, a giant syringe in his hands.

"What's that? What did you do?" Usopp gasped.

"I injected some sedatives to calm him down for now, it's the only way to stop him from hurting himself…" Crocus sighed. "I'm afraid I'm getting too old for this, one day, I might just not be able to help him before he kills himself…"

The Straw Hats looked up at the half submerged whale, now currently docile. Luffy stepped up to the prow of the ship, crossing his arms.

"LABOON!"

Laboon's eye drifted down to look at the Marine.

"I know it is painful for you, these pirates are your family right?"

"Buoohhh..." Laboon wailed.

"They made a promise to you that they will come back for you, right?!"

"Buoooohh!" Laboon wailed again, tears forming at his eye.

"Even after fifty years, you still believe them to be alive, right?!"

"Buuuooohh!' Laboon started crying.

"On my word as a Marine, I'll head into the Grand Line and find your friends for you! So you don't need to hit your head against the mountain anymore!" Luffy punched his hands in the air.

"BUOOHH!" Laboon wailed loudly, his tears flowing freely down into the sea.

"Heh, that kid…" Crocus shook his head. "How the hell did you make him listen to you, when I failed to do so all these years?"

Luffy took a few pots of paint and drew a crude looking strawhat on Laboon's head, "This shall be a mark of our promise! As long as this remains, I will continue to search for your friends! So don't scratch it by hitting the mountain!"

"BUOOHH!" Laboon yelled in understanding.

"You guys, I've never seen Marines like you… Who are you guys?" Crocus grinned.

"We're the Straw Hat Marines," Usopp grinned proudly at him.

"The Straw Hat Marines eh? Weren't you guys who dealt with the most wanted in East Blue?" Crocus scratched his chin.

"Yep, that's us!" Sanji smirked at him.

"What are you doing over here at the Grand Line now?"

"We had been stationed to the Grand Line after that. There are much more pirates here, after all," Nami grinned at him.

"Nami! Is the log pose set on Whiskey Peak yet?" Luffy jumped back on the ship.

Nami checked the log pose, "Yes, we can set off anytime now."

"Onwards to Whiskey Peak!"


	12. Chapter 12: Lost And Found

_A/N: I may have lied about not killing Robin off, she's a wanted criminal after all. Heheheh.  
_

 _For those who can't wait as to when Luffy will get his Devil Fruit, you'll still have to wait after the Alabasta arc. I did say it wasn't anytime soon :P_

 _Anyway, thanks for all the reviews again! It's really keeping me motivated to keep updating it!_

 _Enjoy! :D_

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Luffy clung on to Aokiji's shoulders as the latter rode his bicycle through the waves. He watched as the ice path extended underneath the bicycle wheels as they cut through the sea. Aokiji was humming a tune as he pedaled the bicycle as though it was an everyday occurrence._

" _Teacher, where are we going?" Luffy asked, not taking his eyes of the ice._

" _Mmmm… There's an island nearby that some pirates are rampaging around, we're going to check it out." Aokiji replied offhandedly._

 _Luffy nodded before a gust of wind blew past them, blowing out a piece of paper that had been under Aokiji's cloak._

 _Luffy managed to catch it before it drifted away, looking down at it, he realized it was a wanted poster of a girl._

" _Teacher, who's this?" Luffy poked Aokiji's back._

 _He turned to look over his shoulder, spotting the poster Luffy was holding in his hands._

" _Oh… That girl… She's a wanted criminal," Aokiji turned back to the front casually._

" _Eh? Isn't she like, really young? What did she do?" Luffy stared wide eyed at the poster. The girl in the picture couldn't be more than eight years old but yet the reward for her was a stunning seventy-nine million berries._

" _She knows things that she shouldn't," Aokiji said simply. "And the things she knows are a threat to the world."_

" _Oh… What should I do if I see her?" Luffy continued to stare at the poster._

 _Aokiji stopped the bicycle to turn and look at Luffy in the eye, "This girl is the one exception I will make for you, Luffy…"_

" _Exception? The holding back and accidentally killing people you kept telling me?" Luffy gasped._

" _Yes, if you ever see this girl…" Aokiji grasped Luffy by his shoulders, leaning close to him._

 _Aokiji's eyes were dead cold, even colder than the ice he makes. Luffy gulped as he knew his teacher was absolutely serious now._

" _Kill her."_

* * *

"Hey, so who are you guys, actually?" Usopp asked Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.

"Yeah, you never really told us who you were," Sanji nodded, puffing on his cigarette.

All of them were sitting on the deck waiting for Nami's next commands. The weather had so many dramatic changes the moment the crew had left Twin Cape that there was absolutely no time to rest. It could be snowing for a few minutes before a sudden lightning storm struck and a hurricane might be included into the mix. Nami had worked the whole crew to the bones doing her best to keep the ship afloat with her navigation skills.

After what seemed like hours of pulling up and letting down sails, repairing holes caused by icebergs and constantly turning the ship around, they finally had a moment's rest when they hit calmer waters.

"We already told you, I'm Mr. 9!" Mr. 9 thumped his chest proudly.

"And I'm Wiss Wednesday," Miss Wednesday flicked her hair back.

Usopp face palmed, "No, really, who are you guys actually?"

"We can't say, we come from an organization that's all hush, hush," Mr. 9 raised his index finger to his lips.

"Yes, even if you're Marines, we still can't tell you because that's our motto," Miss Wednesday shook her head sadly.

"Oh really now?" Zoro stepped up to them. "Now what's this organization you're talking about?"

"We… We can't say…" Mr. 9 sweated a little.

"Yes… Yes… It's our policy…" Miss Wednesday tried to smile.

"Hmmm… This policy sounds rather familiar to me… But I just can't put my finger on it…" Zoro scratched his chin, smirking at them.

"You must be mistaken then…" Mr. 9 tried.

"Yes, we're nothing but honest bounty hunters…" Miss Wednesday glanced away.

"Hmph, I'll be watching you," Zoro's smirk grew wider before walking away.

Usopp watched Zoro walk away with a raised eyebrow, "What was that about?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing!" Mr. 9 shook his hands at him.

"Indeed, absolutely nothing at all!" Miss Wednesday nodded her head.

"Suspicious…" Both Usopp and Sanji mouthed.

* * *

Nami stood at the back of the ship watching the clouds with Luffy beside her. Luffy seemed to be having a blast with all the chaos that was going around just now and that annoyed Nami.

"How were you even so calm back there?" Nami glared at Luffy. "This whole place is crazy! All of my navigation skills have failed to work! If it weren't for the crash course I got from Captain Smoker that time in Loguetown, we'll all be in trouble!"

"Shishishishi, relax Nami, we'll be fine!" Luffy laughed. "I've been here for the last three years after all! The weather will be the least of our worries once we hit the latter half of Paradise!"

"Paradise?" Nami stared at Luffy incredulously.

"Yeah! That's what the first half of Grand Line is called!"

"This place is called Paradise?" Nami cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. "How can such a hellish place be called Paradise?"

"So how far away are we, Nami?" Luffy grinned, leaning against the railing.

"I don't know…" Nami sighed, checking her log pose to make sure they were still sailing in the right direction. "After everything that happened just now, we could be an hour, maybe even a week away… This place is scary…"

"That's what makes this place so fun!" Luffy chuckled.

"You… You monster…" Nami wailed, slumping herself on the railing.

Luffy patted Nami on the shoulder with a huge grin on his face before walking down the stairs to join the rest of the crew.

"Luffy!" Zoro called out from the kitchen, beckoning him over.

Zoro closed the door behind him as Luffy entered the room, "What is it, Zoro?"

"Luffy, ever heard of this organization called Baroque Works?" Zoro folded his arms.

"Baroque Works?" Luffy scratched his chin. "Is it some kind of company for water pipes?"

"No," Zoro sighed. "It's some kind of underground criminal organization. It's an organization that no one knows about each other's real identities and demands absolute obedience from its members."

"Criminal organization?" Luffy gasped.

Zoro nodded grimly.

"What's a criminal organization?" Luffy tilted his head.

Zoro face palmed, "Just take it that they are a bunch of criminals that slapped a name on themselves, alright?"

Luffy nodded dumbly.

"Anyway, these guys tried to recruit me once way back when I was a bounty hunter before, I refused of course," Zoro snorted. "I couldn't agree with the 'absolute obedience' part… The whole thing is all about secrecy and everyone in it has their own code name that they must use."

"What about the boss?" Luffy tilted his head.

"That's also a secret that no one in the organization knows either. In fact, it's the most closely guarded secret of the organization." Zoro frowned.

"Hmmm… So why did you bring this up now?" Luffy crossed his arms.

"Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday are both code names, Luffy…" Zoro pointed out.

"Oh… So those two are part of the organization huh…" Luffy nodded in understanding.

"Indeed… We need to be wary…" Zoro glanced towards the door leading to the deck.

A few seconds passed by silently.

"EHHH?! So those two are bad guys?!" Luffy yelled.

"You just realized?!" Zoro yelled back at him.

Luffy began panicking, waving his arms in the air, "Oh no! We let criminals on the ship! What should we do?! Should we arrest them?! But we promised to help them! Do I report this to HQ? What if they attack us?"

"Calm down, damn it!" Zoro knocked Luffy on the head. "They don't know we know that yet, let's just see what happens and we'll decide what we'll do with them."

Luffy nodded, clutching his head where Zoro had hit him.

"Luffy! Zoro!" Usopp flung the kitchen door open. "Hey! Come out guys, we're here!"

"Here? Where?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Whiskey Peak of course! Our first island on the Grand Line!" Usopp pointed outside.

Both of them rushed out after Usopp to the prow of the ship where everyone else was gathered. Right in front of the ship the silhouettes of giant cactuses could be seen.

"That's Cactus Island!" Mr. 9 grinned.

"Whiskey Peak is just up ahead!" Miss Wednesday pointed at the river opening.

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy cheered, undoubtedly the most excited out of everyone.

* * *

"Welcome to Whiskey Peak!" Miss Wednesday gestured towards the cheering town.

The whole crew had received a warmer than expected welcome to the town, it seemed as though everyone in the town had specially came out to receive them.

"Hear this my friends!" Mr. 9 jumped up on to the railings of the ship, waving his hands at the crowd. "These kind Marines have graciously decided to aid us in our food shortage problem!"

The town cheered even louder than before.

"All hail the Marines! Heroes of the sea!" Mr. 9 cheered.

"Hail the Marines! Heroes of the sea!" The town echoed.

"Wow! This place is awesome!" Usopp grinned.

"Look at all the pretty ladies!" Sanji waved, his eyes turning into heart shapes.

As the ship lowered the gangplank for the crew to disembark, a tall gentleman with blonde curly hair stepped up to them with a broad smile.

"I welcome you Marines! I am Igarappoi, the mayor of this town of Whiskey Peak!" The man bowed to them. "On behalf of this town, I humbly thank you for your generosity."

"There's no need to be so formal," Luffy laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. "How much do you need?"

"We couldn't ask much from our saviors, a measly twenty million would suffice for us to last," Igarappoi bowed again.

"TWENTY MILLION?" Nami cried.

She pulled Luffy away, her arm around his neck as she leaned close to whisper, "Luffy… Do we really have to help these people? He's asking for a third of all our money!"

"We're Marines right? We help people when they need help," Luffy raised an eyebrow as though he just said the most obvious thing in the world.

Nami bit her finger, "Is there anyway we can help them without giving them our money, please?" Nami pleaded with teary eyes.

"Well… What do you propose?" Luffy scratched his head.

"They just need food right? There's plenty of fish in the sea! We can just organize a fishing party out to get enough fish for the whole town!"

"Ok," Luffy said simply.

"No, you don't understand, he's asking a whole third of our money! What if we meet some problems on the way? What if… Wait? Did you say ok?" Nami stopped herself.

"Yeah, I mean, you did make sense there, right?" Luffy grinned at her, turning to walk back to Igarappoi.

"Is there a problem, sir?" The mayor sweated slightly.

"Yeah… My Navigator did not agree to your terms, so she came up with a counter-proposal." Luffy grinned.

"What kind of counter-proposal?" Igarappoi raised an eyebrow.

"I'll go help you guys catch some fish to eat!" Luffy placed his hands on his hips.

"Fish? That would be a problem you see, Mr…" Igarappoi gestured a hand towards Luffy.

"Luffy, Commodore Monkey D. Luffy," he finished for him.

"Yes, that would be quite a problem you see, Mr Luffy." Igarappoi gave a slight cough as he gestured to the town.

"Even though it is a possibility, the sea outside our town is quite dangerous." He looked towards the sea sadly.

"Indeed, Sea Kings are quite common in this area," Miss Wednesday shook her head sadly.

"Even if we went out to fish, we risk incurring the wrath of one," Mr. 9 sighed.

"Ugh… There's no other way then…" Nami sighed.

Sanji nodded, "This explains everything."

"Oh? Then isn't your food problem solved then?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Huh? Weren't you listening? There's Sea Kings out there, Mr. Luffy," Igarappoi narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yeah, why don't you just get one for food?" Luffy grinned.

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!" Everyone yelled at him.

Luffy pouted, "Give me five minutes."

"Luffy? What are you planning?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're not actually going to fish are you?" Usopp shook slightly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Usopp," Luffy grinned at him.

"Oh good, for a moment there, I thought-"

"I'm gonna go get a Sea King!" Luffy interrupted Usopp. "Nami! Hold this for me!"

Luffy handed both his straw hat and Marine cloak to her.

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.

" **Geppo!** "

Luffy launched himself out towards the sea, disappearing to a speck on the horizon within a second before diving into the sea.

"He's… Not actually going to do that… Is he?" Miss Wednesday gasped.

"That's the scary thing… We don't know…" Nami groaned.

The crowd waited in silence, watching the calm sea as the minutes ticked by. A serpentine Sea King exploded out from the water without warning, roaring up at a tiny figure that jumped out in front of it. The Sea King easily matched up with Laboon in size, only that its mouth stretched open wider and its teeth were especially razor sharp.

"HE'S DOING IT!" Everyone cried, eyes popping out of their heads.

They watched with open mouth shock as both the Sea King and Luffy crashed back into the water in an explosion of spray, they could hear Luffy's laughter all the way from here.

"The crazy bastard's actually enjoying it…" Sanji gasped.

"And Mihawk's stronger than this guy…." Zoro gritted his teeth.

"Is he human?" Miss Wednesday covered her mouth.

A few moments later, everyone gasped as the carcass of a giant Sea King emerged in the bay. A soaked and chuckling Luffy climbed up onto land beside their ship.

"You guys ordered a Sea King?" Luffy grinned at them.

"You… How?" Igarappoi gasped in open mouthed wonder.

"Shishishishi, back when I was training with my Gra- Trainer, he had me tossed into the sea to fight with Sea Kings. That was also how I learned to swim, eventually," Luffy chuckled.

All the Straw Hats face palmed.

"He's really not human…" Nami groaned.

"Do all Marines have to go through this training, or is it just you?" Sanji frowned, wondering how many actually survive past training if everyone had to go through that.

"I'm still so far from being a great warrior of the seas…" Usopp sighed.

"This is the power that is common in the Grand Line..." Zoro grinned.

"You're… not hurt…" Mr. 9 noted.

"Indeed… Not a single scratch… against a Sea King…" Miss Wednesday paled.

"So I guess your food problem's solved with this right?" Luffy jerked his thumb at the Sea King with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"In… Indeed, Mr. Luffy… That thing can feed us for at least two years, if not more! I thank you again for your help," Igarappoi bowed to the Marine in gratitude.

"Shishishi! Don't mention it!" Luffy laughed.

"This calls for a feast! We have more food than we can finish now! Throw a feast for our heroes!" The mayor announced, the whole town cheered in agreement.

"And they were so worried about not having enough food moments ago…" Sanji shook his head.

* * *

The party began in earnest right after they had secured the Sea King to the harbor. There was plenty of food for everyone now and the people of Whiskey Peak wasted no effort to show their heroes the best hospitality they had ever seen.

Both Zoro and Nami found themselves participating in rowdy drinking contests with the various townspeople including Mr. 9. Usopp managed to find a group of wide eyed admirers listening on his tales of being a brave warrior of the seas. Sanji found himself in heaven surrounded by a group of ladies that were doing their best to entertain him and Luffy got to eat as much as he wanted from the Sea King he had defeated.

"Hahaha! It truly is a great day for us! Enjoy yourselves to your hearts' content!" Igarappoi laughed.

The party carried on late into the night until most of the town had fallen asleep.

* * *

Igarappoi stepped out of the tavern where most of the town had retired to, smiling to himself. Miss Wednesday followed him out, staring out to the bay where the Marine ship was docked.

"That Marine is strong…" Miss Wednesday sighed.

"Indeed… I never thought I'll meet someone like that all the way out here…" Igarappoi glanced back at the tavern's open door. Many of the bounty hunters that had disguised themselves to be town folks are sprawled all over the place, fast asleep.

"You're not thinking of… recruiting him, are you?" Miss Wednesday whispered to him.

"Recruiting who for what?" A voice asked from behind them. Both turned to see a very muscular woman with dark colored skin approach them, her face was flushed, showing she had been drinking.

"Oh, Miss Monday!" Miss Wednesday gasped.

"Mr. 8, you didn't join us in celebrating! Miss Wednesday too! Why don't you come drink with me!" Miss Monday grinned at them, showing the three bottles of wine she held in her hands.

"It's alright, Miss Monday, go enjoy yourself," Igarappoi, otherwise Mr. 8, smiled at her.

"Suit yourselves," Miss Monday grinned, walking off to enjoy her alcohol in another part of town.

"Back on the topic, you're not actually thinking of asking him for help, are you?" Miss Wednesday stared at Mr. 8.

"Why not? In fact, we should already report this to the Marines! We already know who's behind all this, don't we?" Mr. 8 whispered.

Miss Wednesday bit her thumb, "But we still don't have proof… The Marines won't listen to us if we don't show them proof…"

"Nonsense," Mr. 8 grasped Miss Wednesday's shoulders. "You're the princess! Of course they'll listen to you!"

"Shhh! Igaram! Shhh! You'll blow our cover!" Miss Wednesday covered his mouth frantically.

"Princess… If we just report it to the Marines, we won't need to hide it anymore…" Mr. 8/ Igarappoi/ Igaram sighed.

"Igaram, we're still among enemies here… If they were to find out, we'll be finished before even going back!" Miss Wednesday cried.

Igaram turned back to check the tavern again, "It's fine princess, they're all passed out from partying after all…"

"You guys really have me all confused now, so are you bounty hunters or not?" A voice called out from above them.

Both looked up fearfully to see a smirking Zoro sitting at the edge of the roof, a bottle of sake in his hand.

"You… You're one of the Marines…" Igaram gasped. "Didn't you pass out from drinking?"

"A true swordsman never allows alcohol to take control of himself," He grinned, jumping down the building to join them.

"So how can I help you, Baroque Works?" Zoro smirked at them.

Both Igaram and Miss Wednesday gasped, "You know?"

Zoro nodded, one of his hands at his swords, "Back when I was still a bounty hunter, they approached me and offered me a place among them. I refused of course, but I'd never thought I'll meet you guys here…"

"This makes things easier," Igaram stepped forward, not worried about Zoro's unclasped sword. "Let me reintroduce ourselves, I am Igaram, Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guards."

"Royal Guards?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, his hand leaving his swords.

"Yes, and here is Nefertari Vivi, princess of the Alabasta Kingdom."

"Princess?!" Nami gasped from behind Zoro.

"You're awake too?" Zoro turned to her.

Nami grinned, "Of course! You think that little alcohol is able to knock me out? Heh, I'm up for more!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and turned back to them, "So what's a princess and the Captain of the Royal Guards doing in a criminal organization?"

Vivi lowered her head, "My country, Alabasta, is currently torn by civil war. We managed to track down the organization that has been instigating the revolutionaries, but we couldn't find out who was leading it."

"I take it the organization is?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

Both Igaram and Vivi nodded.

"So you infiltrated it as one of them?" Nami asked.

Vivi nodded, "Indeed, I had Igaram and I join the organization as one of their own to find out their secrets from the inside."

"And what did you find?" Zoro crossed his arms.

"The boss of this organization spread lies to his subordinates about building an ideal nation, but in reality he aims to take over the kingdom of Alabasta. If I don't return with this information, my country will fall into his hands…" Vivi gritted her teeth.

"My, aren't you the brave princess," Zoro smirked at her.

"Princess Vivi cares for her country more than herself," Igaram sighed. "I was originally against the idea... But she had said that she would go regardless of whether I followed or not."

"Did you say, princess Vivi?" Luffy stepped out from the tavern.

"Oh, you're actually awake, what a surprise," Nami grinned at Luffy.

Luffy stared at Vivi, "You're Nefertari Vivi, princess of Alabasta?"

"Ye… Yes…" Vivi stuttered, seeing the serious looks in his eyes.

"You've been reported missing for quite some time now…" Luffy noted, not taking his eyes off her.

"Yes, we never informed anyone of our plans," Igaram answered for her.

"I see… So who's the one behind all this?" Luffy's eyes stayed serious.

Vivi clenched her fists, "It's one of the Seven Warlords… Crocodile…"

"The Seven Warlords?!" Nami gasped.

Luffy furrowed his brows at the mention of the name.

"Luffy, you know him?" Zoro glanced at his Commodore.

Luffy shook his head, "I never met him… But my trainer never had anything good to say about him…"

"So what do you plan to do?" Nami turned back to Vivi.

"We both need to get back to Alabasta to warn my people about Baroque Works' intentions… I cannot allow my people to play into Crocodile's hands!" Vivi cried.

Luffy, Nami and Zoro turned to look at one another, nodding.

"I guess, that's that, we'll escort you back to your home." Nami grinned.

"I'll report to Headquarters about Crocodile's treachery too," Luffy smirked.

Footsteps echoed down a dirt path just as they were about to leave. Everyone turned to see a couple walking towards them confidently.

"More bounty hunters?" Zoro crossed his arms.

Igaram and Vivi both took a frightful step back.

"Those two… they're Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine…" Vivi gasped.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, hands going to his swords again, "More Baroque Works agents?"

"The lower the number, the stronger the agent…" Igaram stepped in front of Vivi protectively.

"Kyahahaha! My, my, my, what have we here? Do I see Mr. 8 and Miss Wednesday collaborating with Marines?" Miss Valentine snickered, twirling the umbrella in her hand.

"Why are you here?" Vivi demanded.

"We received a report from the boss saying his secret got found out. Though what secret it was, we have no clue," Mr. 5 said simply, his eyes unreadable beneath his sunglasses.

"And we have information that two little rats from a certain kingdom has infiltrated our organization," Miss Valentine sneered.

Both Vivi and Igaram gasped.

"And you know what we do with rats?" Mr. 5 picked his nose casually.

Everyone tensed.

"We dispose of them," He flicked his booger at the group. Just as the projectile neared them, it exploded suddenly, engulfing all of them in the blast.

"Kyahahaha! That was easier than I thought," Miss Valentine snickered.

They were about to turn their backs when the smoke cleared to reveal Luffy standing still with his right palm raised towards them, smoke clearing from his palm.

"Tch, at least tell us if you're gonna do something like that," Zoro frowned, his swords already drawn.

"Heh? You're not bad for a Marine," Miss Valentine snickered.

"What's going on?" A few bounty hunters stuck their head out of the tavern.

"Perfect timing, agents! Those two are spies from the Kingdom of Alabasta, the boss has ordered their execution!" Mr. 5 pointed towards Vivi and Igaram.

The bounty hunters looked between the two groups, hesitating.

"Mr. 8? Miss Wednesday?"

"They're spies?"

"What should we do?"

"The boss ordered it after all…"

"Go wake the rest!"

The bounty hunters poured out of the tavern, each with a weapon in hand.

Luffy frowned at this, the people who he had just been feasting with moments ago have drawn their weapons against them.

"Nami, go wake Usopp and Sanji and take Vivi and Igaram to our ship," Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"Aye, sir!" Nami grinned, running into the tavern.

"Zoro, I'll leave the small fries to you."

Zoro smirked, his swords ready, "With pleasure."

"You stupid Marines, can't you see you're outnumbered?" One of the bounty hunters waved his weapon at them.

Zoro stepped out, his bandana already tied around his head, "Only weaklings care about numbers."

He charged towards them, swords by his side.

"Shoot him!" The bounty hunters fired their guns.

Zoro zigzagged through the hail of bullets, reaching the first guy before they could fire their second rounds.

" **Oni Giri!** "

Zoro slashed his swords at them, cutting through their weapons and flinging them away from him.

"Meddlesome brats…" Mr. 5 flung another of his booger at him.

Luffy appeared in front of Zoro, blocking another explosion, "Your opponent is me."

"So be it, Marine," Mr. 5 rolled up his sleeves, cracking his knuckles.

Nami appeared from the tavern, dragging a still groggy Usopp and Sanji with her hands.

"Vivi, Igaram! Let's go!" Nami sprinted down towards the bay where their ship was anchored.

"They're getting away! Get them!" The bounty hunters of Baroque Works picked up their weapons to follow them.

Zoro dashed out in front of them, swords pointed menacingly at them, "You'll have to get through me first! **Taka Nami!** "

Dashing in front of the crowd, he slashed his swords in an arc causing a gust of wind to cut through the bounty hunters, blood spraying from those that had been cut. He looked down at his bloodied sword with disapproval.

"Sandai Kitetsu… A sword should only cut what it's master wants to cut, I still have a long way to go to be the best…"

Zoro flinched back as a bounty hunter slashed his sword at him, bringing the sword in his other hand forward to parry before swinging his head downwards, cutting the man down with Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.

"All of you are just small fires to me, don't get ahead of yourselves," Zoro smirked at them.

One of the bounty hunters smirked back at him, "It doesn't matter, we just needed to keep you here!"

"What?" Zoro raised his eyebrow.

"We already sent a group ahead to lie in ambush for them, there's no where to run," The bounty hunter's smirk got wider.

"You bastards!" Zoro turned to the direction where Nami had ran off to.

"You shouldn't turn your back to us!" The bounty hunters leaped towards him.

Zoro's eyes flashed, "I don't have time for you guys if that's the case…"

He slashed out with all three of his swords before turning around to chase after Nami. The bounty hunters that had leapt towards him all collapsed in a pile, already unconscious.

"And now you're alone," Mr. 5 smirked.

"Kyahahaha! Maybe I should go take care of them too?" Miss Valentine laughed, leaping into the air and using her umbrella to float towards the bay.

Mr. 5 charged at Luffy, his arm raised to hit Luffy.

"Just so you know, I ate the Bomu Bomu fruit. I can make any parts of my body explode! **Bomb Punch!** "

Luffy grabbed the exploding fist with his hand, his eyes glared straight at Mr. 5.

"You… How?" Mr. 5 stuttered, unable to pull his hand back from Luffy.

Luffy grinned devilishly, "Now that I'm in the Grand Line, my restrictions are lifted."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Mr. 5 yelled at him. He reached forward with his other hand to grab on to Luffy's shoulder and pull him into a bear hug.

"But it's still your mistake to let me come so close! **Zenshin Kibaku!** "

Mr. 5's whole body detonated in a huge explosion, tossing a miniature mushroom cloud into the air.

* * *

"What was that?" Usopp turned his head to see the mushroom cloud.

"I don't know, just keep running! They're going to catch up!" Nami yelled , turning to glance at the mob of bounty hunters currently chasing them.

"Tch… I should be able to take them all on, no problems…" Sanji frowned.

"No, our priority is to get the princess to safety first!" Nami yelled back at him.

Sanji leaped forward with hearts in his eyes, "Understood, Nami-swaaan! I shall do my best to escort Vivi-chwaan!"

A girl crashed down in front of them, creating a crater in the ground.

"Miss Valentine!" Vivi gasped, coming to a stop.

"Kyahahaha! You're not going anywhere, princess!" Miss Valentine laughed.

"Princess! Get back!" Igaram pulled his necktie strings, revealing gun barrels hidden in the curls of his hair.

" **Igarappappa!** " Igaram pulled the loops of the stings, firing the six rounds of explosive bullets at her.

The bullets exploded in a cloud of dust just as she leaped up into the air.

"Kyahahaha! You can't get me that easily!" Miss Valentine laughed. "With the power of my Kilo Kilo fruit, I can freely change my weight from one to ten thousand kilograms! Now taste the weight of five thousand kilograms!"

She closed her umbrella and dropped down from the air suddenly, smashing Igaram into the ground.

"Igaram!" Vivi cried, brandishing a small sharp jewel attached to a long wire. Nami took out her staff as well, twirling it to point at Miss Valentine.

"Tch… those guys already caught up to us!" Sanji turned to see the bounty hunters approaching them.

"Kyahaha! You think you fools stand a chance? You guys are surrounded!" Miss Valentine laughed, lifting her foot off the groaning Igaram. "None of you will be getting of this island!"

" **Exploding Star!** "

A small projectile flew towards her and exploded, causing Miss Valentine to be blasted back a few meters.

"Tch… So meddlesome…" Miss Valentine spat, having used the knockback of the blast to escape into the air again, unseen by the rest.

"All of you go ahead, I'll take on these bounty hunters," Sanji lit a cigarette as he stepped in front of the charging mob.

"I'll stay with you too!" Usopp stood beside Sanji, already drawing his slingshot.

Nami nodded at him before pulling Vivi away.

"No! What about Igaram?!" Vivi cried.

Sanji gave her a thumbs up, "We'll carry him back after we're done, no worries!"

Sanji turned back to face the mob alongside a shaking Usopp, "I'd say there are about fifty or so of them, you think you can take them?"

"I… I'm a great warrior! Fif… Fifty is nothing!" Usopp held his sling shot steady.

"Heh, then back me up!" Sanji leaped towards the crowd, legs poised ready to strike.

* * *

"How are you still alive?!" Mr. 5 gasped as he stepped back from Luffy.

His whole body was smoking from the explosion, but no visible burns were present, not even on his clothes. On closer inspection, Mr. 5 noticed the whole of Luffy's body had turned black.

"Who are you?!" Mr. 5 demanded.

"Commodore Monkey D. Luffy of the Marines," Luffy said simply, walking towards Mr. 5 calmly.

" **Nose Fancy Cannon!** "

Mr. 5 flicks another piece of explosive snot at Luffy, exploding harmlessly against his haki infused skin.

"You… Stay away! I… I'll-"

Luffy dashed forward and released his haki,his skin turning back to normal. He gritted his teeth as he punched Mr. 5 in the gut and sent him crashing into a nearby building.

Luffy dusted his cloak, "You talk too much."

Luffy turned as a crashing sound resounded from the bay, "It must be the other agent…" Luffy frowned, running to catch up with his crew.

* * *

" **Lead Star!** "

Usopp shot his projectile cleanly in between the bounty hunter's eyes.

"You bastard!" The bounty hunter screamed, dropping his gun and clutching at his eye. From the side, Sanji jumped out towards him, legs aimed at the bounty hunter.

" **Collier Shoot!** "

The other bounty hunters watched as their comrade was kicked into a nearby building, smashing through the wall.

"Heh, you guys aren't much after all!" Sanji smirked, landing on his feet.

"Damn… I didn't know these Marines are this strong…"

"But if we don't kill them, the boss will kill us anyway…"

"We have no choice but to fight then!"

The bounty hunters charged towards the two Marines.

"It wouldn't do if you turn your backs on me, you know?" Zoro grinned from behind, having finally caught up to them.

"Another Marine?!" A bounty hunter gasped.

Sanji smirked, "Heh, what took you so long stupid marimo? Got lost?"

"Shut up shitty cook, let's do this!" Zoro unsheathed his swords.

"Usopp! Give us some cover!" Sanji grinned, leaping towards the bounty hunters again.

Usopp returned the grin, "You got it! **Smoke Star!** "

Usopp fired a ball towards the bounty hunters that exploded into a thick cloud of smoke. Sanji lands on top of a bounty hunter with his hands, spinning himself on his head.

" **Party Table Kick Course!** "

Every bounty hunter that was near him received a nasty kick in the face, sending them flying out of the smoke. With a final spin, Sanji flips himself back up and kicks the bounty hunter below him away as well.

" **Tatsu Maki!** "

Zoro slashed through the smoke, a miniature tornado forming and blowing both the smoke and the rest of the bounty hunters away. Sanji and Zoro both turned away from the carnage just as the last bounty hunter hit the floor, unconscious.

"Heh, not too shabby marimo," Sanji grinned.

"Same to you, shitty cook," Zoro grinned back.

* * *

Nami continued to run as their ship came into view, "There it is, Vivi! We're almost there!"

A person crashed out of the sky, bringing the two to a stop.

"Miss Valentine?!" Vivi gasped.

Nami frowned, whipping out her staff, "Didn't she get blown away by Usopp just now?!"

"Kyahahaha! You fools think you can match up to Baroque Works?" Miss Valentine laughed.

Vivi frowned, "Carue! Give me a hand here!"

A large duck jumped out from an alley, quacking loudly and sticking out one of his wings to Vivi.

"I didn't mean literally!" Vivi cried.

"Kyahahaha! What a bunch of fools! I'll have all of you die here now!" Miss Valentine leaped into the air again.

"Miss Wednesday!" a pair of footsteps rushed towards them.

Vivi turned to see the approaching figures of Mr. 9 and Miss Monday waving at her.

"Was what I heard true? Are you really the princess of Alabasta?!" Mr. 9 gaped.

"Yes, it's all true! Your organization has been looking to destroy my country all this while!" Vivi yelled towards him, tears in her eyes.

"One thousand kilograms!" Miss Valentine yelled from above, crashing down towards Vivi.

"Look out!" Nami gasped.

Vivi looked up just as Mr. 9 pushed her away, taking the brunt of the impact.

"Mr. 9!" Vivi gasped. "Why?"

"Miss Wednesday…." Miss Monday stepped in front of her, facing Miss Valentine. "We've been working together for quite awhile. We may have been here for different agendas, but I know Mr. 9 and I feel the same."

Miss Monday turned to grin at her, "You're our friend no matter what."

"Huh, so you are all betraying us just for that? Kyahahaha! How foolish!" Miss Valentine laughed.

Miss Monday gritted her teeth as she charged towards her, aiming to tackle her on to the ground.

"Useless!" Miss Valentine flipped herself up and over on top of Miss Monday, holding on to her head. "Let's see that super strength of yours, Miss Monday! ten thousand kilograms!"

Miss Monday was smashed into the ground by the sheer weight of Miss Valentine.

"Miss… Monday…" Mr. 9 gasped, crawling out of the crater he had been smashed into, coughing up blood.

Miss Monday groaned weakly as Miss Valentine stepped off her, turning to face Vivi again.

"You're not going anywhere, princess," Miss Valentine grinned.

Both Nami and Vivi gasped, staring at her.

Miss Valentine smirked until a hand rested on her shoulders. She turned to come face to face with a Marine Commodore and his three Commanders behind him.

"You! What happened to Mr. 5?!" Miss Valentine gasped, flinging herself away from him.

"The same thing that's going to happen to you," Luffy said simply, advancing towards her.

Miss Valentine leaped up into the air again, "Don't get so full of yourself Marine! Ten thousand kilograms!"

Miss Valentine laughed as she plummeted towards Luffy, leg poised to strike him.

"Armament," Luffy clenched his black colored right hand and punched towards her foot. There was no contest as Miss Valentine was flung back into the sky until she disappeared.

"The strength to defeat a Sea King…" Vivi gasped at the sky.

"Princess…" Igaram gasped, his head was bleeding profusely. Sanji and Zoro had him propped up in between them, that's when she realized Igaram had changed his clothes and hair to resemble hers.

"Igaram! Why are you dressed like that?!" Vivi frowned.

Igaram stepped towards her with shaky legs, "Princess, I have a plan… Once Baroque Works learns of what happened here… They will no doubt send pursuers after us…"

"What do you intend to do?"

"If you will… Pass me the eternal log for Alabasta, I will lure the pursuers away from you… While you travel the normal route towards Alabasta…" Igaram said in between gasps.

"But you'll be in danger!" Vivi protested.

Igaram smiled a little at that, "I'm the Captain of the Royal Guards… If I can't place my life on the line… To protect you… I can never face your father again…"

"Igaram…" Vivi gasped.

"Relax, Miss Wednesday…" Miss Monday limped towards Vivi with Mr. 9 by her side. "We'll go with him as well."

"Miss Monday, Mr. 9…" Vivi felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

"If you will, princess… the eternal pose, please…" Igaram stuck his hand towards her.

"What's an eternal pose?" Nami tilted her head.

Taking the eternal pose from Vivi, Igaram showed it to her, "An eternal pose is like your log pose except it only points to a single island no matter where you go."

"I… I see…" Nami nodded, making another mental note in her mind.

* * *

"I'll see you again in Alabasta, princess…" Igaram smiled at Vivi.

"Stay safe, Igaram. Mr 9, Miss Monday, you too."

Both Miss Monday and Mr. 9 gave her a thumbs up.

As the they watched Igaram alongside with Miss Monday and Mr. 9 set sail on the boat, Nami turned to her Commodore, "Aren't you going to report this back to Headquarters?"

Luffy scratched his head, smiling awkwardly, "About that… That Mr. 5 guy's explosion kinda… blew up my den den mushi…"

"WHAT?!" his crew gasped at him.

"So we're on our own?" Usopp cried.

"Er… Well… Until I can get my hands on another one…" Luffy smiled sheepishly.

"I can't believe you…" Nami face palmed.

Just as they turned to leave for their ship, a huge explosion set off in the horizon, consuming the decoy ship in a sea of flames.

"Pursuers already?!" Zoro yelled.

"We have to leave now!" Sanji raced towards their ship.

"Nami! Is the log pose set?" Usopp turned to Nami.

Nami glanced down at her log pose, "Yes! We're ready to set sail! Vivi!"

Nami looked at Vivi to see a trickle of blood flowing down her lips. Nami grabbed her hand and pulled her away, "It's alright Vivi! We promise you we'll bring you back to your home!"

"Luffy! We have to go!" Zoro yelled at his stationary Commodore.

"CROCODILE!" Luffy yelled towards the sea.

The crew watched solemnly on their ship as the flames slowly died down. Vivi was doing her best to hold back her tears as Carue tried his best to comfort her.

"It's almost morning…" Zoro pointed out.

The crew looked towards the horizon as the sun just began to peek out from the sea.

"Be careful of the rocks, and congratulations on your escape." A voice sounded behind them.

The crew turned to see a woman wearing a cowgirl outfit complete with knee high leather boots and a cowgirl hat sitting on the railing above them.

Vivi stepped back in fear, "What… What are you doing out here? Miss All-Sunday!"

"Well, I must say, I never expected to see Miss Monday and Mr. 9 alongside Mr. 8." Miss All-Sunday smirked.

"You… You're the one who did that?!" Vivi screamed at her.

"Who's her partner?" Nami asked.

Vivi furrowed her eyebrows, "Crocodile's… She's the only one in the whole organization that knows this… Igaram and I had to tail her to find this out…"

Miss All-Sunday giggled, "Technically, I let you tail me."

"I already knew that! You told him that his identity was leaked too, didn't you?! What do you want from us?!"

"Don't need to get so worked up little princess, I only let you follow me because you looked so desperate." She narrowed her eyes at Vivi with a wicked smile. "And it was just too amusing to watch a single lonely princess fight a futile battle against our organization to save her homeland. Though it seems you have finally managed to contact the Marines."

"You…" Vivi glared at her.

Before anyone could respond, Luffy had appeared on the railing beside her. Miss All-Sunday gasped as she was lifted up by her collar to face the Commodore.

"You…" Luffy began, just as hands sprouted out from his shoulders to chop at his neck.

"Armament," Luffy said simply, not even flinching as the hands struck him. "Why did you lie?"

"What are you talking about?" Miss All-Sunday gasped at the Marine.

"I know you didn't kill the ones on the ship, I can still hear their voices." Luffy stared hard at her, not letting go.

"Is that true? Luffy?!" Vivi cried.

"Ugh… Who are you?" Miss All-Sunday winced.

"Commodore Monkey D. Luffy, a Marine."

"Monkey D.?" Miss All-Sunday raised an eyebrow at him, just as Luffy let go of her.

"So you're Crocodile's partner?" Luffy stared at her.

She nodded at him slowly.

"I want you to send a message to him, tell him we're coming to kick his ass."

Miss All-Sunday widened her eyes, "You're serious? You do know he's one of the Seven Warlords? Even if you have evidence against him, you can't do anything to him."

"What do you mean?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"I heard you lost your den den mushi, without any reinforcements, there's no way any of you are actually able to beat him... He's just too strong." Miss All-Sunday frowned at them.

Luffy grinned, "So you actually want him to be beaten?"

Miss All-Sunday flinched back, "I… No, I… Perhaps…"

Luffy's grin grew wider, "You're not a bad girl after all huh?"

Everyone stared at Luffy incredulously.

"Bring my message to Crocodile, then we'll come and kick his ass for you!"

Miss All-Sunday looked at the Marine's eyes, he was absolutely serious.

She slumped her shoulders, pulling out an eternal pose, "This is an eternal to an uninhabited island near Alabasta, you can use it to get there instead."

"Don't want it," Luffy crossed his arms.

"WHY?!" His crew shouted at him.

"Even if we're helping you, don't think you can choose the path of our journey," Luffy pouted at her.

Miss All-Sunday revealed a slight grin, "I see… You're different from the other Marines."

"Of course!" Luffy huffed.

"Alright then, I shall await your arrival on Alabasta."

She jumped over the side of the ship, landing on a waiting giant tortoise.

"Don't die on the next island," She flashed him a grin.

"You better deliver my message!" Luffy waved after her.


	13. Chapter 13: Great Warriors Of The Sea

_A/N: Hey guys! Have some bad news for all of you. In a few hours I'll be on the plane going overseas to visit my relatives until 25th July and I highly doubt there's a stable internet connection there... So that means updates are halted until then, sorry! Fear not, I promise I'll continue to write while I'm there so get ready for a bunch of updates when I'm back! :D_

 _I originally wanted to finish the Little Garden arc in a single chapter, but damn, it's already 3am and I need to wake up at 6am to catch my flight. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging without a chapter and explanation for my disappearance for two weeks so I decided to just split this into two parts, sorry! :(_

 _Now to answer some questions, I'm not planning on letting anyone outside of the original Straw Hats join the crew. Perhaps there will be some cameos from the Marine side but no one will be permanent. :(_

 _As for how strong Luffy is with Haki, I'm pretty sure spending a whole year under Garp's training would get you to quite a monstrous level. Considering how much of a monster he is himself and how much he wanted Luffy to be strong, I'd say doubly even more so. :P_

 _And for Robin's fate, you can refer to what I said about letting the original Straw Hats forming. :D_

 _As usual, a big thank you to everyone of you and those who took the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it and it's honestly the thing that keeps me motivated in continuing the story._

 _In the meantime, I really need to go crash now before I find myself unable to catch my flight :P_

 _As usual, enjoy and I'll see you guys in two weeks!_

* * *

A man wearing a blue striped vest and dress pants walked past the unconscious bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak. His top knot was tied into a visible '3' and his glasses and frail build made him looked like a nerdy office worker, only to be marred by his devilish smirk he had plastered on his face.

Beside him, a small girl carrying a paint set walked calmly, munching on a rice cracker. A large pink hat sat on her dark red hair that was tied into twin braided pigtails. She wore a dark blue t-shirt that had the word "Golden" printed on the front that was partly covered by the sky blue shirt she wore over it. Her maroon coloured skirt barely covered her blue and white striped stockings underneath it.

Both of them stopped in front of an unconscious Mr. 5 lying among the rubble of a collapsed building.

"So this is what you've been reduced to huh?" The man smirked at Mr. 5. "If only Mr. 2 had been the one beaten here, I could've been promoted!"

"Mr. 3... had Mr.2 been been defeated here, it would mean we didn't stand a chance against them in the first place…" The girl prodded her paint brush at him.

"Miss Goldenweek, you forget that I'm more superior in tactical planning than Mr. 2," Mr. 3 smirked wickedly. "As long as I know my enemy, there's no way I would lose!"

Miss Goldenweek sighed dramatically, continuing to much on her rice crackers.

Mr. 5 stirred suddenly, coughing and pushing himself up on the debris, he gasped when he saw the two standing in front of him.

"Huh, so you're not dead?" Mr. 3 rolled his eyes, disappointed.

Mr. 5 got up on unsteady legs, grasping at his chest as he spat out the blood in his mouth. Leaning against a pillar, he frowned at Mr. 3, "The spy… Contacted the Marines…"

Both Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek flinched at this.

"Tch… We have to get rid of them before they can request for reinforcements…" Mr. 3 frowned. "What do the look like?"

A screech sounded on top of a building nearby.

All three of them turned to see a vulture wearing black goggles and an aviator cap staring down at them. Beside it was an otter wearing a pair of sunglasses and a skin tight blue coat with purple dots.

"The Unluckies? What are they doing here?" Miss Goldenweek frowned.

The otter took out a few pieces of paper and dropped it towards them, sniffing at them with disdain. Mr. 3 picked up one of the pieces to find a drawing off a Marine wearing a straw hat.

"That's one of them," Mr. 5 frowned. "So you two saw everything… And you didn't help at all?!"

The otter and vulture pointedly ignored the fuming Mr. 5.

"So this is everyone of them, huh." Mr. 3 grinned wickedly at the five drawings of Marines. "They shouldn't be too far away now, if they had followed the normal route, they should be at Little Garden now."

Mr. 5 raised an eyebrow, "What do you propose?"

"You, my friend, will have your work cut out for you. If we leave now, we might still catch them before they reach Little Garden," Mr. 3 grinned wickedly.

"You mean, I'm still in? You're not going to get rid of me for failing?" Mr. 5 furrowed his brows at him.

Mr. 3 smirked, "Consider this your second chance for making up for your blunder, you still have your uses after all."

Miss Goldenweek prodded Mr. 3 with her paintbrush again, "We have yet to find Miss Valentine…"

"Tch… Where can she be? We'll be late to catch them at this rate…" Mr. 3 spat, turning to look at the rest of the town.

* * *

"Luffy… Is what you said back there true?" Vivi grasped Luffy's shoulders.

Luffy nodded quickly, "I heard their voices among the flames, though it felt weak, they were still alive."

"You heard their voices? I didn't hear anything… Were they screaming or something?" Zoro frowned.

Luffy scratched his chin, "It's not literal voices that I'm hearing, it's sort of like an aura that everyone emits and I can feel them with my haki."

"What's haki?" Sanji tilted his head.

Everyone stared at the Commodore expectantly.

"Er… It's… Hmmm…" Luffy scratched his head. "My trainer tried explaining it to me before, but I didn't really understand what he was saying either… It's some sort of power that everyone has within themselves that they have to unlock or something… It seems if you can unlock it, you will be several times stronger than before!"

"So even we can learn them?" Usopp asked hopefully.

"Yeah! It's present in everyone, you just have to unlock yours!" Luffy grinned.

"So.. how did you get yours?" Nami tilted her head.

"It took me quite a while actually…" Luffy held up his hand as he pointed at his fingers to count. "My trainer first tossed me into a cage full of lions, then had me survive a week in a jungle full of bears alone, then had me dodge a barrage of cannonballs he would throw at me, then made me fight Sea Kings by myself-"

"Ok… We get it… You're a monster…" Nami lifted up a hand to stop him.

"I guess I'll never learn haki then…" Usopp sighed.

"Oh, don't worry about that! My trainer told me that if you're exposed to more danger, the more likely you'll be to unlock haki by yourself!" Luffy grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah… I doubt any of us would be able to survive what you just listed out, Mr. Commodore…" Vivi shook her head.

"Heh… So all I have to do is expose myself to danger, huh?" Zoro gripped his swords.

"Er… Something like that, there was also something about directing your body's energy or something…" Luffy folded his arms to think.

Everyone stared at him again.

"I forgot! Shishishishi!" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

Everyone sweat dropped.

"Putting that aside, I see an island ahead! Is that the next stop?" Luffy pointed to the silhouette ahead.

Nami brought her log pose up to her eye, matching the needle's position to the island. She nodded in satisfaction, "Indeed it is! That's our second island of Grand Line!"

"Full speed ahead! I smell an adventure!" Luffy yelled.

"This smell wouldn't have anything to do with that haki now, would it?" Usopp frowned.

* * *

"What did you say this island was called again?" Zoro turned to Nami who held a book in her hands.

"Little Garden," She gulped. "This place doesn't look good…"

"Why not?" Vivi glanced at Nami.

"It's an island that is trapped in the dinosaur age…"

"DINOSAURS?!" The crew yelled.

Nami nodded slowly, flipping through the book she held in her hands.

"I heard about these kinds of islands before…" Vivi's eyes widened. "Because of the difficulty in navigating in the Grand Line, there are many islands that have never been touched by man, resulting in many different cultures spanning across the Grand Line."

Usopp's legs were shaking in fear, "So… You're saying this island…"

"Is trapped in the time when dinosaurs were rampant in the world…" Vivi finished.

"Guys… Is it possible to skip this island?" Usopp clung on to the ship's mast, crying.

"Quack!" Carue agreed with him, cowering beside him.

"Not possible… We need to record the island's magnetic fields in order to go to the next island…" Nami frowned. "If we were to leave without recording it, the log pose would just point back to this island…"

"It's just a couple of giant lizards right?" Zoro smirked.

"Don't worry Nami-swaaan, Vivi- chwaaan! I'll protect you!" Sanji pirouetted around the deck.

"Let's go look at the dinosaurs!" Luffy punched the air.

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" Nami sighed.

* * *

"Listen, all we have to do is just remain on the boat until the log pose has been recorded, understand?" Nami wagged a finger at the crew. "There's no need for any of us to step foot inside the island."

"But that's boriiiiing!" Luffy protested, rolling around on the deck.

"Is he really a Marine Commodore?" Vivi stared at Luffy incredulously.

"You better believe it," Zoro nodded. "Though you already saw how strong he was."

Vivi sighed, remembering how Luffy was laughing while fighting a Sea King. No sane man could've done the same as he did.

Luffy jumped up from the deck, puffing his chest and striding to the side of the ship. Before he could jump off, Nami grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him back.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"I don't want to stay! I want to explore!" Luffy pouted.

"I said no! It's too dangerous!" Nami gripped his collar tighter.

"Nami… I highly doubt there's anything on the island that can hurt him…" Vivi tried to placate the fuming navigator.

The others on the crew nodded to themselves in agreement.

"What about us?" Nami cried.

Sanji pirouetted to her side, "I'll protect you Nami-swaan!"

"Can I go? Please Nami?" Luffy looked at her pleadingly.

"You… Argh! Fine! But only until the log pose is set!" Nami released his collar.

"Yaaayy!" Luffy leaped over the ship, disappearing into the forest.

Usopp tapped Nami on her shoulder, "Nami… Do you actually know how long it will take the pose to set?"

Nami grasped her head as she let out a silent scream.

"I thought so…" Usopp sighed.

Just as they were deciding on what to do, Zoro hopped over the railing on to the island as well.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Nami yelled at him.

"Seeing as we might be here for awhile, I might as well go see if I can find some danger to get myself into." Zoro shrugged.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Nami yelled, a tick forming on her head.

"Yeah you stupid marimo! Don't just run off on your own!" Sanji yelled after him.

Nami sighed in relief, finally someone else who actually had some sense on the ship.

"If you're going, at least hunt some animals to bring back, we're almost out of food!"

Zoro waved back in acknowledgement while Nami collapsed on the deck, finally giving up. Vivi knelt down to hug her, trying her best to console the weeping navigator.

Sanji turned just as he heard a soft pop coming from below deck, he frowned as he strained his ears, catching the soft thumps of footsteps coming from below.

"You guys hear that?" Sanji stood protectively in front of the girls.

"Hear what?" Usopp looked around, frightened that a dinosaur might come out.

"Footsteps… There's someone else on the ship…" Sanji frowned.

A soft thump emanated from below their feet.

Usopp hid himself behind the mast, "It can't be… Dinosaurs snuck themselves on to the ship?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Vivi frowned. "The footsteps sounded human."

Sanji threw open the hatch that lead below deck to the storage, "I'm going to check it out."

He descended the ladder carefully, eyes scanning the darkness for movement. He tiptoed quietly to the storage room where most of the alcohol was stashed.

Pushing the door slowly, he peered through the crack to see a figure hunched over one of the barrels, dropping something inside it.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Sanji bursts into the room, finding Mr. 5 inside.

"Tch, just had to be you… **Fancy Nose Cannon!** "

Sanji flung himself out of the way as the explosive snot sailed past him, exploding on the pillar behind and throwing up a cloud of smoke.

"You bastard!" Sanji kicked his leg at where he had last seen him but Mr. 5 was already gone.

"Sanji! What's going on?" Usopp called out from above the deck.

Sanji clucked his tongue as he checked the barrels filled with alcohol, some of them had their lids pried open before it was covered back hastily.

"I think a Baroque Works agent tried to poison our alcohol…" Sanji started identifying the ones that had been tampered with and pushed them aside.

"Baroque Works? They're on the island?" Vivi gasped.

"I guess they caught up to us sooner than we thought…" Nami frowned.

"What should we do? As if having dinosaurs around us isn't bad enough already…" Usopp groaned.

A stomping sound came from the shore as the ship shook from each stomp. All three humans and one duck on the deck turned just as a giant shadow loomed across the ship. All of them gasped at the giant that towered over them, a wicked looking axe in his hands.

"Hey, you guys got any rum?" The giant grinned.

* * *

"This place is awesome!" Luffy grinned, looking at the dinosaurs all around him. "They're almost as big as the bears in the forest Gramps had dumped me in!"

Luffy spotted a brachiosaurus with an especially long neck grazing on the tree tops. He immediately jumped on its back and climbed up to its head, using it to take a look around the island.

"Wow! Nami was right! This whole island is full of dinosaurs and volcanoes! This place is so cool!" Luffy grinned.

Just as he was about to climb back down, the dinosaur flipped its head upwards, sending Luffy into the air in an attempt to bite him.

"You want to eat me? Like hell I'd let you! **Rankyaku!** " Luffy kicked the blade of air at the dinosaur, slicing its neck clean off.

Luffy landed on one of the tree tops, hands on his hips as he huffed indignantly.

"Gegyagyagyagya! Aren't you a strong one!" A powerful voice laughed from behind.

Luffy turned to see a helmet wearing giant laughing down at him. He had a cape draped around his shoulders and a viking helmet sat proudly on his head. In his hands he carried a chipped sword that had seen many years of constant use and a battered shield strapped to his other hand.

"Wow! Are you a giant?" Luffy's eyes sparkled at him.

"Gegyagyagya! Indeed I am! My name is Dorry, Elbaf's strongest warrior!" Dorry laughed heartily.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! A Marine! Nice to meet you!" Luffy grinned back.

"I haven't had guests around here in a long time! Why don't I invite you to my place?" Dorry stretched out a palm for Luffy to ride on.

"Sounds good!" Luffy hopped on to the open palm.

* * *

"I need to become stronger…" Zoro gripped his swords. "That haki thing seems like a useful skill… I'll need to expose myself to more danger then…"

A triceratops stomped into his tracks, stopping to regard Zoro with hostile eyes.

"Huh… You'll do... for a start," Zoro unsheathed his swords.

* * *

"Gababababa! I haven't had guests in a very long time! My name is Brogy, greatest warrior of Elbaf!" The giant laughed, sitting in front of his home.

Vivi, Nami, Usopp and Carue shivered as the giant laughed, while Sanji was off to the side, watching over a spit roasting a huge chunk of dinosaur meat.

"Brogy, how did you get these spices? They smell exquisite," Sanji pinched a few plants from a large pouch that sat beside the cooking spit.

"Gababababa! You're a cook I see? They're quite common around the island! It gives the meat a very tangy and spicy smell, does it not?" Brogy laughed.

"Indeed, and I never thought dinosaur meat could taste this good! I wonder if there's another way to replicate this taste?" Sanji scratched his chin.

"Gababababa! Aren't you an interesting one?"

"They're already acting like friends…" Usopp nudged Nami.

"How is he so calm about this?" Vivi flinched at every one of Brogy's sudden movements.

"Quack!" Caure slurped nervously on his drink, eyes not leaving the giant in front of him.

"That's because he's an idiot…" Nami sighed.

Sanji brought them plates of meat that he had cut himself, "Please help yourselves, Nami-swan, Vivi-chwan."

"Er… Thanks, Sanji…" Vivi took the plate from him hesitatingly, eyes still watching the giant.

"Mr. Brogy?" Nami raised her hand timidly. "May I just ask… How… How long will it take for the log pose to set?"

"One full year," Brogy deadpanned.

Everyone gasped in shock.

"So take it easy while you're still here! Gababababa!" Brogy laughed.

* * *

"Thhish dinoswaur mheat ish rweally ghood!" Luffy stuffed his mouth full of the meat.

"Gegyagyagya! You have good taste, my friend! Have as much as you want! That dinosaur you killed has more than enough for the two of us!" Dorry laughed.

"So what are you doing living alone here?" Luffy gulped down his food.

Dory grinned, "I am currently engaged in a duel with another giant from my village, and until that duel is settled, I cannot leave this place."

"Oh?" Luffy tilted his head. "What's the duel for?"

Dory looked fondly towards the direction where Brogy was staying, "You see, in our village there's a certain rule, if two warriors get into a quarrel and neither side can settle it, we'll have to engage each other in a duel under our god Elbaf's judgement. He will ensure the one that was right will survive the duel and the one who was wrong shall be slain."

Munching down on the meat in his hands, he glanced back at Luffy with a huge grin, "I, myself got into a quarrel with another giant, so this island has been our battleground since then. Although this duel hasn't been settled for the past hundred years!"

"Wow! You've been fighting for the past hundred years?!" Luffy gasped.

"It's nothing to be surprised about, we giants live three times longer than normal humans after all! Gegyagyagyagya!" Dory thumped his chest proudly. "To be honest though, we've fought for so long that both of us have forgotten the reason as to why we were fighting in the first place!"

"I see… It's a battle about your pride now, isn't it?" Luffy grinned.

"Indeed!" Dory grinned back, just as a volcano erupted nearby.

Dory dusted his legs as he stood up, gripping his sword, "I don't know when it started, but that volcano has turned into our signal to begin each of our duels now."

Luffy watched in awe as the giant stomped his way towards the other giant that was coming to meet him.

* * *

"Why am I surrounded by idiots…" Nami cried.

"He's no idiot! He's a true warrior!" Usopp protested, his eyes watching Brogy in awe.

"They already forgot the reason this duel started in the first place! So why do they keep on fighting?!" Nami protested with Vivi nodding beside her.

"A man's pride is a complicated thing…" Sanji puffed on his cigarette, watching as the giants greeted his other with their weapons drawn.

"Is that something that you would risk your life for?" Vivi asked, unable to tear her eyes away as the giants clashed against each other.

Usopp nodded, "A true warrior would rather lose his life than his pride… Had a warrior lost his pride, he would carry that shame with him for a lifetime, whereas if he had lost his life defending his pride, his legacy would carry on for generations…"

"Well said," Sanji grinned, while the girls only shook their heads in disbelief.

The earth shook as the giants both clashed their weapons again and again, each aiming to kill the other.

"To think there's a whole village of them… They are truly great warriors of the sea… If I could visit them, maybe I could learn a thing or two…" Usopp stared longingly at the giants.

The giants let out a loud roar as they punched each other across the face with their shields, knocking each other sprawling on to the floor, ending the fight in a draw.

"Hey, Dory! I've got rum from my guests! Why don't you drop by for a drink?" Brogy laughed.

"Gegyagyagyagya! Perfect! I haven't had rum in a long time! I'll go get my guest over too!" Dory laughed.

* * *

Zoro stood amidst a herd of dead triceratops, each one having various slash marks across their bodies.

"Huh, still nothing..." Zoro frowned, staring at the triceratops. "Maybe I'm not in enough danger?" Zoro looked around, trying to find another bigger opponent to fight.

* * *

"Isn't it great to have guests, Dory? Gababababa!" Brogy laughed, slapping his old friend on the back.

"Gegyagyagyagya! So all of you are Marines in the same crew? What a coincidence!" Dory laughed, pouring a barrel of rum down his mouth.

"I thought you guys didn't want to leave the ship?" Luffy pouted at Nami, munching on a piece of meat he got from Sanji.

Nami looked away, a bead of sweat dropping down her forehead, "Well… Mr. Brogy there was rather convincing…"

"I don't mean to interrupt Mr. giants, but is it true it'll take one whole year for the log pose to set?" Vivi frowned.

"Indeed," Both Dory and Brogy said at the same time.

Vivi flinched, "We don't have that much time… Is there any other way?"

"Hmm… We do have an eternal pose, but it only points towards Elbaf. Are you guys going to take it from us?" Dory frowned at them.

Luffy grinned up at them, "Nope! We only need to get to Alabasta, so we don't need it!"

"Gababababa! You humans are so interesting!" Brogy chuckled.

"Is there really no other way to get to Alabasta?" Sanji crossed his arms.

"Well… If I had a den den mushi, I could probably request an eternal pose from Headquartes…" Luffy frowned.

"And you just had to lose it to that exploding guy…" Nami wailed.

"Ah! Speaking of which, isn't he on the island right now?" Sanji hammered his palm.

Nami and Vivi gasped, "We totally forgot!"

"What is it? You guys have more friends on the island?" Dory raised an eyebrow.

All of them shook their heads in unison.

"You can say they are assassins after my life…" Vivi frowned, now watching the trees around her carefully.

Both Dory and Brogy huffed in indignation, crossing their arms.

"You hear that Dory?" Brogy frowned.

"Indeed, there's someone on this island that dares to try to harm our new friends!" Dory furrowed his brows.

"I say we go root them out from the forest!" Brogy got up, grasping his axe.

"Agreed!" Dory brandished his sword, just as the volcano erupted again.

"Ah, I guess we'll have to settle another round first," Dory glanced at Brogy.

Brogy lowered his head, grinning, "Fine with me!"

Both giants lunged at each other as the Straw Hats ran for cover, hiding in the forest.

"Those guys are crazy!" Nami cried. "You'd think they'll at least remember we were in the middle of them at least!"

Everyone watched from the edge of the forest as both giants clashed once more. No one would have guessed that those two had been laughing and eating beside each other moments ago by the ferocity of their fight.

* * *

"There they are," Mr. 5 frowned at the Marines that were watching the fight while hiding behind some bushes. "They haven't seem to have noticed us yet."

"I'll get that damn Commodore back for punching me so far away…" Miss Valentine gritted her teeth.

"Now, now, you'll both have your revenge soon enough." Mr. 3 smirked. "My plan's already in motion."

"What about the giants?" Mr. 5 glanced back at Mr. 3.

Mr. 3 only smirked wider, not even looking at the fight, "They're not our priorities, we just need to make sure these Marines and the princess don't escape alive. The boss will reward us greatly if we can complete this mission. Now listen as I tell you my plan."

Miss Goldenweek munched on her rice cracker while watching the giants fight, not paying attention to the Mr. 3 explaining his plan to the other two.

"Now, as soon as I give the signal, we all move out together, understand?" Mr. 3 grinned devilishly.

The other two nodded before moving to their respective positions.

* * *

"We're not alone…" Luffy frowned.

The others glanced at him before widening their eyes.

"There's one on each side and another two behind, don't let them know that we know." Luffy crossed his arms, pointedly looking straight ahead.

"What do we do?" Nami leaned towards Luffy, trying her best to not move her lips.

"As soon as they attack, I need all of you to make a dash for the clearing and bring them out of the forest, I'll cover our backs." Luffy lowered his head.

Everyone nodded an affirmative, readying themselves.

Using his Observation Haki, Luffy saw the figure of Mr. 5 with his hand ready to flick his explosive snot at him. Just as his fingers twitched, Luffy yelled, "Now!"

Everyone ran out of the forest and into the clearing, turning around and readying themselves for a fight as the trees behind them exploded.

A smoking but otherwise unharmed Luffy leapt out from the dust moments later, his back towards them. Before anyone could say anything, another snot fired towards Luffy, encasing him in another explosion, tossing up another dust cloud.

"Look out for the wax!" Luffy yelled from within the smoke just as another explosion blew in front of him.

The crew looked around in confusion until they saw a trial of wax flying straight towards Vivi.

"Oh no you don't!" Sanji stepped in front of Vivi, attempting to kick the wax away.

" **Candle Lock!** "

Sanji found his leg that came into contact with the wax bound in a candle-shaped restraint. He stumbled on to the ground as he lost his footing, just as another wax trial appeared from within the trees.

Vivi could only gasp as the wax trail reformed itself into a spear and shot itself towards her.

" **Armament!** "

Luffy stood in the path of the spear, his skin fully black. The wax spear shattered against his hardened skin the moment it came into contact.

Sanji kicked his foot on the ground, smashing the wax restraints into pieces.

"Heh, you guys are stronger than I thought…" Mr. 3 emerged from the forest.

"Mr. 3…" Vivi furrowed her brows.

"Ara, ara, Miss Wednesday, I don't believe we've met face to face." Mr. 3 grinned. "Too bad it has to be under such harsh circumstances."

Luffy stepped towards Mr. 3, blocking Vivi from his sight, "Back away now, unless you want me to kick your ass."

"Heh, you're not really convincing, Marine. You don't seem to have the brawn to back your words up." Mr. 3 laughed. "I would usually offer you guys a chance to leave with your lives, but all of you know our boss's secret, so I'll have you die here."

Mr. 5, Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek stepped out from the forest behind Mr. 3.

"We're not going to allow any of you to leave this island alive," Mr. 3 smirked.

* * *

"Oh? What's a house like this doing here?" Zoro poked at the house made of wax. Behind him, a decapitated corpse of a tyrannosaurus rex lay on the ground, blood spilling out from the neck.

Zoro pushed open the door to find the room empty short of the wax furniture and a porcelain tea set on the table in the middle of the room.

He walked in just as a den den mushi rang on a side table in the corner of the room. He walked up to it and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Zoro tried.

"It's me, how's the mission?" A gruff voice replied from the other end.

"Who's this?"

"It's Mr. 0…"

Zoro felt a grin crawling past his lips.


	14. Chapter 14: A Lurking Darkness

_A/N: I'm back! You guys will be glad to know I have three chapters of 'To Protect Everything' and two chapters of 'To H Everything' that I will post in the next few hours after I edit and review them. :D_

 _So it seemed that I was partially right about not having a stable internet connection at my relatives' place, I mean sure they had one but it felt like it was connected to a toaster or something. It took me forever to load up anything and I'm not even kidding when I say I can leave a page loading for a whole day and it still won't be done at the end of the day. :(_

 _Well, that brings me to these three chapters that I will be editing my ass off, I was practically writing blind without reference materials._

 _If anyone is curious to know about how I go about writing my stories, I would first read the chapters and watch the episodes for that particular arc first, then keep them on a separate window as reference as I write. Another window would be up for the one piece wiki page with tabs for every character that will appear and the story arc itself. Very troublesome, but I didn't want to risk the quality. :(_

 _Thus I'm pretty sure I missed out and screwed up some things while writing them and they'll need some major editing. :P_

 _Meanwhile, enjoy this one first! It's nice to be back home too :D_

* * *

"It's Mr. 0…"

Zoro grinned upon hearing that name.

"Ah, yes, of course, what did you want again?"

"Stop playing around Mr. 3, have you killed those Straw Hat Marines and princess Vivi?"

"Oh… Yes, of course I did, they were just a bunch of small fries, nothing to worry about." Zoro snickered.

"Good, I already sent the Unluckies to deliver an eternal pose to you. Set off for Alabasta with Miss Goldenweek once you receive it."

"Of course, Mr. 0, we'll be sure to—"

Zoro was cut off mid-sentence as an otter appeared from the corner of his eye and lunged at him, a pair of shells that had knives at the ends in its hands.

"Tch, what do you think you're doing?!" Zoro unsheathed his sword.

The otter turned to face him just as a vulture dove through the window, a pair of cannons on its back. The otter lunged again with the vulture behind it, shooting a pair of cannonballs at Zoro.

"You guys aren't even worth my time!"

Zoro ducked under the otter's lunge and sidestepped the cannonballs, slashing his sword at the vulture and sending it crashing into one of the wax tables.

The otter leapt at Zoro again, clearly mad at him for cutting its partner.

Spinning around, Zoro caught the shells with his blade, smirking at the otter before delivering a punch to its face and sending it crashing into the other end of the room.

Sheathing back his sword, he picked up the receiver again, "You still there?"

"Explain what happened, Mr. 3…" The voice seemed very displeased.

"Oh nothing, a bunch of weird animals attacked me, I already dealt with them." Zoro glanced at the unconscious duo.

"Tch… Just get here as soon as possible, I don't want to waste anymore time."

"Oh, before that, Mr. 0… Did you receive a message from those Marines?" Zoro grinned.

"No, why?"

"Because my Commodore sends his regards, we're coming to kick your ass, Mr. Warlord."

Zoro hung up before he could get a response. Glancing down at the otter and vulture again, he approached them with a sword drawn.

"Are these things the ones carrying the eternal pose?" Zoro poked the vulture with the tip of his sword.

Getting no response, he knelt down and turned the vulture over, just as an eternal pose rolled out from under it.

"Bingo," Zoro smirked.

* * *

The four officer agents of Baroque Works stood against the four Straw Hat Marines with Vivi alongside them, Carue had already hid himself somewhere.

"I'd say, I'm rather disappointed at you, Miss Wednesday," Mr. 3 smirked. "If you had just kept up your ruse, maybe you might have even gotten a place in the new Kingdom of Alabasta after Mr. 0 takes over."

"I would never have forgiven any of you for starting the civil war," Vivi furrowed her brows.

Mr. 3 shrugged, disappointed, "I guess we can't hold back then, we'll have to kill all of you here and now!"

Miss Valentine leapt into the air while Mr. 5 brandished a revolver from within his coat, breathing out his breath into the bullet chambers. Miss Goldenweek dipped her paint brush in one of her paints while Mr. 3 flung his hand towards them, directing trails of wax towards them.

On the other side, Usopp pulled back his slingshot with a bullet loaded in while Sanji lit his cigarette and made a dash towards them. Nami assembled her staff and spun it defensively in her hands, standing alongside Vivi who had already pulled out her Peacock Slashers as well. Luffy gritted his teeth as he covered his whole body with Armament Haki, charging in with his crew.

The two sides clashed, both sides intent on eliminating the other.

Mr. 5 aimed his pistol at Usopp and emptied all six rounds at him.

Usopp frowned, "Don't tell me your breath's explosive too?!"

He released all the explosive bullets that he had loaded in his slingshot simultaneously, exploding the breath bullets in between them and throwing up a cloud of smoke.

Sanji charged through the smoke as Mr.5 was reloading his gun.

"Don't get cocky! **Candle Lock!** "

A wax trail shot towards Sanji's legs, imprisoning them in a candle shaped restraint. Sanji stumbled on to the ground, cursing under his breath just as Miss Valentine hovered over him, leg outstretched.

" **Ten Thousand Kilo Guillotine!** "

"Not on our watch!" Both Nami and Vivi leapt towards the descending Miss Valentine, smacking her away before she landed on Sanji.

"To be saved by you girls, how extremely lucky!" Hearts fluttered out of Sanji while he blew kisses at them.

"Shut up and start being of some use!" Nami yelled at him.

"Too late for that," Mr. 5 grinned, pointing his revolver at them.

" **Exploding Star!** " Usopp shot at Mr. 5.

"Futile," Mr. 5 smirked, catching the bullet in his mouth and swallowing it, the bullet exploded inside him harmlessly. "Explosives don't work on me."

He fired the gun at Nami.

"Don't look down on us!" Sanji flipped on his hands, throwing the candle restraint on his legs in the path of the gun.

The invisible bullets exploded on the candle, shattering it and freeing Sanji.

Luffy charged towards Mr. 3, his haki-infused fist clenched behind him, ready to strike.

" **Candle Wall!** "

Mr. 3 threw his hands on the ground, spilling wax on the floor that reformed into a hardened wall of wax.

"You won't be able to punch through this!" Mr. 3 smirked.

Luffy punched at the wall, shattering it with minimal effort and letting his momentum carry his punch straight into Mr. 3's face. The others watched with wide eyed awe as Mr. 3 was sent crashing back through the forest in a single punch.

"You filthy Marine!" Mr. 5 pointed his revolver at Luffy, firing all six rounds at him.

Luffy lowered his head as he swayed his body from left to right, dodging the invisible bullets effortlessly.

"You shouldn't turn away from me!" Sanji jumped at Mr. 5, kicking towards his head.

Mr. 5 raised his arm casually to block the kick before detonating his arm to fling Sanji away. Sanji cursed under his breath as he landed on his knee near the edge of the forest.

"It seems everyone forgot about me…"Miss Goldenweek pouted, dipping her paint brush in black paint before splashing it onto Sanji's back.

" **Color Trap: Betrayal Black!** "

Sanji felt his mind cloud over as the paint imprinted itself on his Marine cloak.

"Great job, Miss Goldenweek," Miss Valentine smirked, pushing herself up from where Nami and Vivi had hit her to. "Now, you stupid Marine! Get rid of those two girls!"

"I'm sorry, I can't hit girls…" Sanji deadpanned.

"What?" Miss Goldenweek gasped. "The hypnotism is perfect… Why?"

"Because he's a gentleman," Luffy smirked, charging towards Miss Goldenweek.

Sanji leapt in front of Luffy, kicking towards him. Luffy barely had time to kick himself away before Sanji's kick missed his head by inches.

"Looks like he doesn't have trouble fighting you, though," Miss Valentine smirked.

"Sanji! Snap out of it you idiot!" Nami yelled at him.

Mr. 5 pointed his revolver at her again, "You have other things to worry about, girl."

"Your opponent is me! **Exploding Star!** " Usopp shot three projectiles towards Mr. 5.

"Don't you learn?" Mr. 5 opened his mouth to swallow the bullets again.

Usopp let a grin cross his face, "Did I say exploding star? I meant **Tabasco Star** , oops!"

"You!" Mr. 5's face contorted in pain as he felt his body burn up from the Tabasco shots he had just swallowed. He fell to his knees, coughing and spitting in an attempt to get rid of the burn.

In the meantime, Luffy was busy swaying from left to right, dodging all of Sanji's kicks. He was still hesitant on raising his hand against his own crew.

"What's wrong with him, Vivi?" Nami cried.

"Miss Goldenweek is a hypnotist… she uses the colors of her paint to control her opponents' emotions…" Vivi gritted her teeth.

Nami watched as Luffy sidestepped another kick from Sanji that obliterated the tree trunk behind him, "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Vivi pointed at the black paint on Sanji's cloak, "If we can get rid of that, he should go back to normal…"

"Got it! Luffy! Keep him busy! We'll get rid of the paint!" Nami charged towards Sanji.

Miss Valentine stepped in front of her, "I don't think so!"

She leapt into the air, aiming herself at Nami before increasing her weight to ten thousand kilograms. Nami flung herself out of the way as Miss Valentine crashed down on where she had been.

"You meddlesome bitch…" Nami furrowed her brows.

"Kyahahaha! Just let those two fight among themselves!" Miss Valentine laughed, keeping herself in between Nami and Sanji.

"I don't suppose burning off his cloak would work?" Usopp aimed his slingshot at Sanji, a flame star bullet loaded and ready.

"No! Don't you dare burn the cloak, Usopp!" Luffy yelled, blocking another kick from Sanji with an upraised arm. "I just have to get it off him right?!"

"Yep," Miss Goldenweek deadpanned.

"Don't tell him!" Miss Valentine yelled at her.

" **Soru!** "

Luffy dashed past Sanji, grabbing onto his cloak and pulling it off his shoulders. Sanji fell on his hunches the moment the cloak left his shoulders, looking around him in confusion. Luffy swiped the paint off with his hand before tossing the cloak back to Sanji, flicking his hand to get rid of the paint as well.

"You're not bad, for a Marine…" A voice called out from the forest. "This is the first time I'm forced to use this against a Marine, you should be proud of yourself!"

Mr. 3 emerged from the forest in a giant suit made of hardened wax. It had broad shoulders with spikes lining it and two giant boxing gloves for hands.

"This is my best piece of work! **Candle Champion!** " Mr.3 grinned proudly, only his head was visible on the suit's torso area.

"That's the one he used to defeat that pirate worth forty-two million berries…" Miss Valentine stared at the hulking suit.

"Miss Goldenweek! Paint the suit for me! With that I'll become invincible!" Mr. 3 laughed.

Nami and Vivi stared at the suit incredulously while Usopp and Luffy had sparkles in their eyes. Miss Goldenweek sighed as she painted Mr. 3's suit halfheartedly, muttering about doing unnecessary work all the time.

"Hahahaha! Now to crush you Marines!" Mr. 3 laughed with his new colored suit, advancing slowly towards the Marines. "This wax that I created is stronger than even steel! There's no way that any of you can stop me now!"

Luffy stepped in front of him, "Really?! That's so cool!"

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE ADMIRING IT!" Nami and Vivi shouted at him.

Mr. 3 raised a fist, aiming at the still stationary Luffy, "It's your end, you damn Marine!"

"Tch, you damn Commodore! What are you doing?!" Sanji leapt towards Mr. 3, kicking at his exposed head.

Mr .3 dropped the upraised fist to deflect Sanji's kick away, smirking at him.

"I already told you, I'm invincible! There's no way you can hurt me!"

Sanji landed on his feet, leaping up towards Mr. 3 again, leg poised to kick.

" **Mouton Shot!** "

Sanji kicked towards Mr. 3's torso, pushing the wax suit back a few steps.

Mr. 3 grunted, "Your kicks are strong, but not strong enough to destroy my suit!"

Mr. 3 charged towards Sanji, delivering a flurry of punches towards him. Sanji furrowed his brows as he leapt back from Mr. 3, avoiding the punches that left craters on the ground.

While Sanji was occupied, Nami and Vivi lunged towards Miss Valentine, aiming to take her out while she was distracted. She leapt back just as they swung their weapons at her, tutting at them, "Kyahahaha, you think I'm that easy?"

Miss Valentine leapt up at the air again, increasing her weight and dropping herself towards Nami and Vivi again. Both girls leapt away from her point of impact, grinning towards each other.

Nami gripped her staff, holding it over her shoulder with both hands, "If you keep on using the same attack…"

Vivi spun her Peacock Slashers on both her fingers, arms thrown back in preparation to strike, "We'll know just how to counter you!"

As Miss Valentine crashed into the ground, both Nami and Vivi swung their weapons at the same time. Nami's staff caught Miss Valentine across her face while Vivi struck her across her abdomen, sending her crashing away, leaving her unconscious on the ground.

Both girls high-fived each other victoriously, striking a victory pose.

"Don't *cough*… Don't get *cough* *cough* so cocky! *cough*" Mr. 5 finally stood up, his face blood red with saliva dripping past his swollen lips.

Usopp grinned uncontrollably, hands on his hips, "You should just stay down if you know what's good for you."

"You damn long nose… *cough* *cough* I'll get you first!" Mr. 5 raised his revolver with unsteady hands.

"Well, how about this? **Pepper Bomb!** " Usopp threw a small satchel at Mr. 5.

With his eyes still teary from the Tabasco he swallowed, Mr. 5 didn't notice the satchel thrown at him until it was too late. The satchel collided with his face, scattering its powdery contents all over him.

"You… You… Ah… Ah… Achoo!" Mr. 5 sneezed, his breath exploding on the ground near him, sending him flying back into the forest. A few moments later, another explosion blasted from within the forest, followed by another one further away.

"Hahaha! I may not be a true great warrior of the sea yet, but I still have my ways to win my fights!" Usopp thumped his chest proudly.

"Yeah, a little help would be great here too!" Sanji yelled, dodging another punch from Mr. 3 before delivering another kick towards his torso, still unsuccessful in breaking the suit.

Luffy started running towards him, "Hold on Sanji! I'll be rig—"

" **Color Trap: Betrayal Black** " Miss Goldenweek splashed the black paint on Luffy's cloak.

"No! Luffy!" Nami screamed in horror.

Luffy could feel his mind clouding over as his vision darkened.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Luffy stood in the room that belonged to the captain of the pirate ship. Instead of the Marine attire he usually wore, he wore a black suit with a red colored tie half hidden by his suit jacket. Right in front of him was the captain of the pirates._

 _The pirate himself was huddling in a small corner of the ship, staring up at Luffy in fear. He had his hands raised defensively hoping that it would help keep him alive._

 _Three figures stepped into the room behind Luffy._

 _One of them had an extraordinarily thin and long moustache that stretched down past his torso accompanied with a pointed goatee. His sleek black hair was braided to look like a scorpion's tail and a pair of pointed sunglasses rested on his head. He wore a black tangzhuang that was white down the middle and left open to expose his muscular chest. A black tie was hooped loosely around his neck that reached down to a red sash tied over his black pants._

 _The second man had a noticeably larger frame and a very obvious mane of long pinkish hair. He wore a normal black suit that was accompanied with a green tie at the collar. In his hands were two hand guards that covered the back of his hands while he wielded a staff that he slung loosely on his shoulders._

 _The last man was the strangest with his big round frame that was shaped like a balloon. His oddest feature was the zip that stretched across his mouth, one that he has to unzip if he wished to speak. Despite that, his green hair was well groomed and he wore his black suit and white tie smartly._

" _Gyaaahahaha, so you found him eh, Luffy? You can do the honors then!" Jabra laughed, flipping his braided hair over his shoulder._

" _Yoyoi! Such sadness! A life so fleeting, so fragile, like the petals of a flower blown by the storms!" Kumadori cried, wiping his tears with his long, pink hair._

" _Chapapa, so this is the end for the infamous pirate that tried to expose the government's secrets?" Fukuro unzipped a part of his mouth, glancing at the cowering pirate,_

 _Luffy said nothing as he continued to stare at the pirate, his hands relaxed by his sides._

 _Jabra walked up to him, putting a hand on Luffy's shoulder, "Go on, kid, you know what you have to do."_

 _He leaned his head beside Luffy's ear, his wolfish grin still plastered on his face, "Once you're done with him, we can all go back home and you can have all the meat you want!"_

 _Fukuro unzipped the zip across his mouth again, "Chapapa, Jabra's just jealous because Luffy's doriki is five hundred points higher than his."_

" _Shut up! No one needed to know that!" Jabra punched Fukuro out of the room._

" _Oh! Forgive Fukuro's travesty! I shall commit seppuku in his stead!" Kumadori cried, stabbing himself with the end of his staff. Before the staff pierced his body, he instinctively used Tekkai and stopped the staff from causing any harm._

" _Ahh! I failed again! Is my mother in heaven protecting me?"_

" _You too! Get out of here!" Jabra shouted, kicking him out of the room after Fukuro._

 _He turned back to the still stationary Luffy, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around to face him._

" _Listen to me Luffy, we already talked about this before. We're here to do what needs to be done and none of us needs to like what we're doing. Even so, we have to do it because no one else would in order to protect what is precious to us."_

 _Luffy glanced at the still cowering pirate before turning his gaze back to Jabra, "But… Isn't arresting him good enough? Even gramps told me—"_

" _Luffy! This is different! These kinds of people are too dangerous to be left alive!" Jabra pointed at the pirate, who was trying to make himself smaller in the corner._

" _Listen well, Luffy. We are assassins... We are sent to eliminate anyone that threatens the safety of those that we care about. You care about your friends don't you?" Jabra stared hard at Luffy._

 _Luffy nodded dumbly._

 _Jabra turned him around to look at the pirate, "You see this guy? This is the kind of person that would kill anyone you cared about without a second thought! Do you think he's worth being kept alive?"_

" _I…He… Perhaps locking him up is enough?"_

 _Jabra sighed in exasperation, "He possess information that can kill your friends if he chooses to spread it, in order to stop that, we have to kill him! Even if we lock him up somewhere, there will always be a chance that information will leak out somehow! If you wish to protect your friends, you have to_ _ **kill**_ _him!"_

 _Luffy hesitated, looking down at the pleading pirate who was begging for his life._

" _Do it Luffy, for the sake of everyone you care about… You have to know when to put aside your emotions in order to protect everyone!" Jabra shoved him towards the pirate._

 _Luffy stumbled on one of the uneven planks on the floor, falling towards the pirate. Seeing his chance, the pirate fished out a knife he had kept hidden under his shirt, stabbing towards Luffy._

 _Jabra muttered a curse under his breath as he pushed Luffy away, letting the knife stab him in the side instead._

 _Luffy fell on the floor, staring up at Jabra's bleeding form in horror._

" _You see… Luffy? What did I tell you? Scum… like him… deserve to be killed…" Jabra gasped._

 _The pirate pulled out the knife, turning to face Luffy with a triumphant grin. Jabra fell on his back, gasping at his bleeding wound._

 _A shadow crossed over Luffy's face as he stared at the pirate with half-lidded eyes._

 _The pirate lunged towards Luffy with the knife, gasping in shock as the knife shattered against Luffy's skin. He glanced up to see Luffy's entire body had turned a solid black color and even his eyes seemed to be an endless black pool of dread._

 _Luffy grabbed the pirate by the neck, throwing him against the far end of the room. The pirate screamed as he felt bones snap from the impact, coughing up blood. Luffy reappeared in front of him in an instant before he could fall towards the ground, grabbing the pirate's head with a hand before slamming him face-first into the ground._

 _He pulled the bloodied pirate up to face him, the pirate croaked with fear as he saw Luffy's face deceptively empty of all emotions, but his eyes held an unrestrained fury._

 _Luffy punched his fist into the pirate's abdomen, sending him crashing back into the wall again, this time he stayed there, hanging limply._

 _Luffy approached him slowly, his fists clenched. He stopped in front of the wall, staring at the pirate impassively before he let loose a flurry of unrestrained blows on the pirate, destroying him and the wall completely._

 _Fukuro and Kumadori walked back into the room, lifting Jabra off the floor._

" _Chapapa, it isn't like you to let yourself get stabbed like that," Fukuro noted._

 _Jabra grinned wolfishly, "Hehehe, it was worth it, now we have awakened a side of Luffy that would not hesitate to kill."_

" _Yoyoi! Such anger! Such fury! As if the heavens themselves thunder upon the earth!" Kumadori cried, watching Luffy hammer into the already dead pirate with no signs of stopping._

 _A few tense minutes passed before Luffy finally stopped, breathing hard. His fists were thoroughly stained with the pirate's blood while he stood on the remains of the pirate that was now already crushed beyond recognition. He turned to look at Jabra, seeing him supported in between Fukuro and Kumadori._

 _He released his haki and took an unsteady step towards Jabra, his hands reaching out towards him with his usual smile on his face, "Jabra… You're alright… Thank gods… You're alright…"_

 _Kumadori left Jabra's side and rushed forward to catch Luffy before he fainted on the floor._

" _A true man amongst men! Such compassion for his friends! Oh so the heavens weep for him!" Kumadori cried again, his tears spilling down his cheeks._

" _Gyaaahahaha! Let's take him back, I'm sure our missions will go much smoothly now with this," Jabra smirked._

" _Chapapa, I'm sure his doriki will increase even further now," Fukuro laughed._

" _SHUT UP!" Jabra yelled, punching Fukuro in the head._

* * *

"Hahaha! Great job Miss Goldenweek! Now, Mr. Luffy, kill those friends of yours!" Mr. 3 laughed, raising his arm to block another kick from Sanji before smashing him away with the other fist.

Luffy turned towards where Usopp, Nami and Vivi were standing, his eyes were glazed over. Before anyone could react, Luffy was already standing in front of Nami, both fists clenched.

"Luffy, wait!" Nami raised her hands, trying to get Luffy's attention.

She gasped when Luffy grabbed her by the collar and slammed her on the ground, his face devoid of emotion.

"Let go of her!" Vivi cried, slashing her Peacock Slashers at him only to have them bounce away from his hardened skin.

Nami looked up at Luffy in fear as he raised a fist, fully intent on bringing it down on her. She shut her eyes tightly just as the fist descended, both Usopp and Vivi flinched back.

The ground shook from the punch, a small crater formed at where Luffy's fist had landed. Nami slowly opened her eyes to see Luffy gritting his teeth with his fist implanted into the ground beside her head.

"Must… Protect… Everyone…" Luffy gasped through gritted teeth.

He slowly got up from Nami and stepped away from her, his whole body quaking from overcoming the hypnotism with sheer willpower.

"I WILL NOT HURT MY FRIENDS!" Luffy yelled, encasing himself in his haki again before smashing a fist into the ground.

This time, the whole island shook from the punch as a crack formed from the point of impact, spreading itself towards both ends of the island.

With a yell, he reached up a hand and tore off the cloak on his shoulders, tossing it to one side.

"Luffy…" Nami gasped, watching the raw display of power Luffy was showing.

Usopp's legs were quaking in fear while Vivi had her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide open in shock. Sanji stood extremely still, both his mouth and eyes wide open as he let his cigarette fall out of his mouth.

His haki was rolling off of him in waves, the air around them noticeably vibrating. The island continued to shake while all the volcanoes on the island erupted simultaneously, every living creature on the island instinctively ran as far away as they could from where Luffy was standing.

Miss Goldenweek had already escaped into the forest, every fiber of her being screaming at her to run from the monstrosity that had awakened. Mr. 3 himself stood frozen in fear, even he understood how little chance he stood against him right now.

Luffy took a step towards him, the island seemed to groan and shake at that single step.

"Wai… Wait! I'll let you all go! There's no need to fight anymore!" Mr. 3 raised his hands defensively, taking four steps back for every step Luffy took.

The ground beneath Luffy exploded as he leapt towards Mr. 3, his face contorted with rage. With a yell, he punched towards Mr. 3 who had the suit's hands raised in defense.

A shockwave exploded out from the impact of the punch, blasting Mr. 3 away while shattering the suit into millions of pieces. The shockwave itself blasted a huge crater in the ground beneath Luffy, spewing a cloud of dust into the air.

As the dust settled, everyone found Luffy standing still in the center of the crater, staring at his feet.

A few tense seconds passed before Luffy collapsed on his knees, falling on to the ground.

"Luffy!" Nami cried, sliding down the crater towards him.

"Wait! Nami! What if he's still berserk?!" Usopp shouted after her, peering into the crater with Vivi.

Sanji leapt in after Nami, running towards the prone Commodore.

Nami held Luffy up in her arms, shaking him awake.

"Nami?" Luffy gasped. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No you idiot," Nami cried, still holding on to him.

"Ah… That's good… I was afraid I might have done something I would never forgive myself…" Luffy grinned sheepishly, closing his eyes. "I'm tired now… Let me sleep for a while…"

"You stupid Commodore… What would we do with you?" Sanji grinned at the already fast asleep Luffy.

"What monstrous strength… It seems I may have underestimated you humans a little," Dorry knelt down beside the crater, sporting new bruises on his face.

"Gabababa! Indeed! I would have mistaken all this destruction to be done by a rampaging giants if I didn't witness all this with my own eyes!" Brogy laughed heartily despite the bruises that marred his face as well.

Dorry reached out a hand into the crater, picking up Nami, Sanji and the sleeping Luffy and brought them back onto flat ground.

"Gegyagyagya! With that strength, he truly is a warrior worthy of recognition!" Dorry laughed, surveying the damage Luffy had dealt to the island alone.

"Gabababa! Indeed Dorry! I've never seen such a display of strength in all my life!" Brogy laughed as well.

That was the moment Zoro chose to enter the clearing.

Zoro looked at the destruction of the clearing with wide eyes, "Heh? What happened here?"

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" The others shouted at him.

"Woah, are you guys giants?!" Zoro gasped at Brogy and Dorry.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"Calm down guys… I was just training in the forest… I did come across this weird looking wax house that's supposed to belong to Mr. 3." Zoro dug his ear, grimacing. "There was a den den mushi inside and I got in contact with Mr. 0 too, though he mistook me for Mr. 3 at first."

"What did you say to him?" Vivi stared wide eyed at Zoro.

He smirked, "I told him we're coming to kick his ass of course!"

"You idiot!" Nami smacked him on the head. "Couldn't you have just told him we were already dead?! That would save us so much trouble!"

Zoro clutched at his head where a lump had formed, "Shut it witch! Our Commodore said so himself, didn't he? We're all going to kick his ass anyway!"

"Don't shout at Nami you ungrateful brute!" Sanji kicked towards Zoro.

Zoro parried away the kick with a sword, "Shut it ero-cook! I'll do whatever I want!"

"Gabababa! You humans are so interesting!" Brogy laughed, smacking his tummy.

Nami sighed, propping Luffy's snoring head on her lap, "This still doesn't solve the problem of being stuck on this island for the next year…"

Vivi nodded sadly, "If only we had an eternal pose to Alabasta…"

"Oh, apparently I found this pose inside the house too, it does have the word 'Alabasta' written on it though…" Zoro fished out the eternal pose from within his cloak.

"That's it!" Vivi rushed up to grasp the eternal pose with both hands, a huge smile on her face. "Thanks Mr. Swordsman!"

She pulled the stunned Zoro into a hug.

Sanji cried, hammering the floor with a fist, crying, "Why can't I be the one to find it instead of that brute?!"

"Well, we shouldn't stay here any longer than we should then!" Nami grinned.

"That's a shame, but we won't keep you here," Dorry grinned down at them.

"I hope you reach home safe, girl," Brogy gave a thumbs up to Vivi.

Zoro reached down and slung the still sleeping Luffy over his shoulders while Nami picked up Luffy's cloak, making sure to get rid of the black paint on it first.

"Mr. Giants! I'll train myself to be proud warriors like you guys someday! And when I do, I'll visit Elbaf to see you guys!" Usopp waved at the grinning Dorry and Brogy.

"Gabababa! We'll be waiting!" Brogy waved back at the departing Marines.

As the figures of the Marines disappeared into the forest, Dorry turned to Brogy with an uncertain frown, "Brogy, you don't suppose that after all these years of fighting without a victor… God Elbaf might have bestowed his divine protection on the both of us?"

Brogy scratched his chin, "Now that you mention it… I never heard of any other duels lasting over a century before…"

"Gegyagyagya! Indeed! Perhaps it's a sign that both of us were right in our argument!" Brogy laughed.

"Gabababa! But we've already forgotten what the argument was about!"

"Putting that aside, we have more important matters right now," Dorry stood up, grasping his sword.

"Indeed, our friends are setting sail, we should at least make sure they make it through!" Brogy got to his feet as well, hefting his axe.

"I guess this is it for both our sword and axe eh?" Dorry glanced at his friend.

"Heh, that human has shown me the things he could achieve with just his fists, I have no regrets!" Brogy nodded back.

Nami gave the call to set sail as Zoro dumped his sleeping Commodore inside the cabin unceremoniously, joining the rest of the crew in readying Merry.

As the ship neared the mouth of the river, the crew found the two giants standing on either side of the river, weapons held ready.

"It's been so long since we last saw such a display of strength," Dorry grinned.

"Such conviction and will, truly the mark of a great warrior," Brogy hefted his axe on his shoulder.

"As a mark of respect from one warrior to another…"

"Allow us to ensure your safe passage!"

The two giants turned to look down at the gaping Straw Hats.

"The reason why most of the little ones never make it past this island lies straight ahead." Dorry pointed with his sword.

"Trust in us and sail straight ahead no matter what happens!" Brogy pointed with his axe.

Usopp gazed at the giants in awe, "Understood! Let's sail straight ahead, guys!"

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't look like we have much choice…" Sanji pointed to a giant figure rising out from beneath the sea.

"May we all meet again one day!" the two giants shouted, settling into a stance.

Nami and Vivi screamed as a giant goldfish exploded out of the water, mouth wide enough to swallow both giants with room to spare.

"Usopp! Turn the wheel!" Nami shouted up at him.

Usopp's legs were shaking, but he held on to the railing firmly, "No! We're sailing straight ahead!"

"We're going to be swallowed up by that thing! Turn the wheel!" Nami shouted.

"Too late…" Vivi cried as the jaws closed in around their ship.

"Straight ahead! Straight ahead!" Usopp shouted, tears spilling past his cheeks.

"Stop shouting! It's already too late to do anything!" Nami yelled back at him.

A large explosion rocked the ship as a hole was blasted through the Goldfish's mouth, sending the ship and the crew flying back out from the back of its head.

The ship landed back onto the sea with a loud splash, the crew clinging onto the railings for dear life.

"So this… Is the strength of Elbaf's warriors… Absolutely stunning!" Usopp shouted in between his tears. "I'll definitely visit there one day!"

"To be able to cut the ocean itself… I have to become even stronger…" Zoro grinned.

"You guys are all crazy…" Nami sighed, though a smile still crept onto her face.

"Go my friends!" Dorry shouted, tossing his shattered sword towards the sea.

"Chase your dreams!" Brogy tossed his similarly broken axe as well.

Both of them watched the ship sail towards the horizon steadily with pride.

"Doesn't it make you want to sail the seas again, Brogy?" Dorry crossed his arms, grinning widely.

"Indeed, perhaps we might not be pirates this time," Brogy laughed, watching the sea with determined eyes.

"We'll gather a crew again, and let's sail the seas one more time." Dorry reached a fist towards Brogy.

"Gabababa! Just like old times!" Brogy fist bumped Dorry.

* * *

Somewhere else, a Marine battleship was making its way towards the Calm Belt from the Grand Line.

"Captain Smoker, sir! We intercepted a highly suspicious call!" A Marine soldier called out from the deck.

Smoker grunted, walking up to the soldier with Tashigi beside him.

"Play it, marine."

The marine fumbled with the black den den mushi, replaying the conversation it had intercepted.

"Tsss… crrk… Mr. 3… krr… Staw Hat Marines and princess Vivi.. Tsss.. Set off… Alabasta… Krrr… Mr. 0… Already dealt with them… clak…"

Smoker frowned, "Was that the best you could get?"

"Aye, sir… The call was too far away to intercept clearly…" The Marine nodded.

"What does this mean, Captain Smoker?" Tashigi glanced at her Captain worriedly.

Smoker took a drag of his cigars, "We don't know for sure… But we can at least piece together what we already heard."

"The Straw Hats…" Tashigi muttered.

Smoker nodded, "It seems Commodore Luffy might have gotten himself involved in some sort of trouble… Especially that princess Vivi that was mentioned…"

"You mean Nefertari Vivi? The princess of the kingdom of Alabasta that has been missing for some time?" Tashigi gasped.

"Indeed… And with all that Mr. 3 and Mr. 0 going on, we can only assume those are code names for some sort of organization… I don't like how he had said 'already dealt with them' either…" Smoker frowned.

He dug out Luffy's Vivre card, breathing a sigh of relief to see it was still in good condition, albeit with slight burns in the corner. He fished out a den den mushi from within his jacket and dialed Luffy's number, frowning when he realized the call could not connect.

Tashigi noticed his frown, "What's wrong Captain?"

"I can't reach him…" Smoker furrowed his brows, stowing the den den mushi back in his jacket. He scratched his chin as he thought about his next course of action.

He pointed at the Marine that had intercepted the call, "Call Headquarters and request for an eternal pose to Alabasta, tell them we intercepted that call and we'll be assisting the Straw Hats. I'm assuming they managed to save the princess from the organization and might be on the run trying to get her to safety."

"Yes sir!" The Marine scurried off.

"Tashigi, set a course to where this Vivre card is pointing to, we'll join up with them."

Tashigi raised an eyebrow, "If we're going to follow them, why do we still need the eternal pose?"

Smoker rolled his eyes, "If I can't contact Commodore Luffy, it probably means his den den mushi was destroyed. He wouldn't have any way to request for an eternal pose from Headquarters in that state, so we'll have to guide him there."

"I see!" Tashigi widened her eyes in realization. She grasped the Vivre card from Smoker before dashing off to the bridge, turning the ship around to face where the Vivre card was pointing to.

Smoker looked out towards the sea, heaving a sigh, "It seems like whether I like it or not, he's still going to keep me here for a while…"


	15. Chapter 15: Changing Course

_A/N: Here's the second one :D_

 _Realized I might need to redo some parts for chapter 16, it's turning out to be my longest chapter so far too :D_

 _Enjoy :D_

* * *

 _Somewhere in Alabasta_

"Miss All-Sunday…" A man frowned towards the woman that sat in a couch nearby.

The man had a long, thick, dark green pelted fur coat worn over bright orange, black-striped button up vest. Underneath the vest was a long-sleeve peach shirt with a blue colored scarf around his neck. His nape-length black hair was neatly slicked back, though a long stitched scar stretched across his face just above his nose. A large gold hook also rested at where his left hand should have been.

"What is it, Mr. 0?" Miss All-Sunday asked nonchalantly, flipping through the book she held in her hands.

"Contact Mr. 2 and tell him to head to Little Garden," Mr. 0 clenched his fist, glaring at the den den mushi on the table.

Miss All-Sunday glanced up at him, "What do you want him to do?"

Mr. 0 smashed his fist into the glass table in front of him, shattering it.

"Tell him to find Mr. 3, and end him!"

* * *

Usopp stared at the direction where Little Garden had disappeared to, his eyes were filled with awe, "One day, when I finally can call myself a great warrior, I'll visit Elbaf and see the warriors with my own eyes!"

"Isn't he optimistic…" Nami sighed, watching Usopp dance around on the deck with Carue.

Nami glanced at Vivi who sat beside her on the ship's deck, staring intently at the eternal pose that pointed towards Alabasta.

Nami reached out a hand to clasp her shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry Vivi, we'll definitely make sure you get back home safely."

Vivi smiled back at Nami, "Yes, with this, I can finally stop the war back at my home before it escalates any further."

She looked down at the eternal pose again, "No matter what, I have to go back and deliver the news to my people and stop this meaningless war."

"And don't forget kicking Crocodile's ass," Zoro grinned at them while swinging a metal pole with giant weights at the end on the deck.

Nami shook her head at him, "If only you had just kept your mouth shut…"

"Oh shut up, it's not like our goal has changed or anything," Zoro grunted without slowing down his swings.

"What are you doing, Mr. Swordsman?" Vivi tilted her head at him.

"I need to become stronger, I wasn't able to unlock my haki at all back there despite all the danger I put myself into…" Zoro huffed in disappointment.

Nami sighed, "You're actually serious about that?"

"Why not?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at her, not slowing down his swings.

"Because the thought of it is already crazy!" Nami groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Zoro turned back to concentrate on his swings, "Then I guess I just have to be crazy too."

Without warning, Sanji burst out from the men's quarters, "We got trouble!"

"What now?" Nami wrung her hands in exasperation.

Sanji pointed towards the room, "Luffy's down with a really high fever!"

"WHAT?!"

Everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed past Sanji into the room, crowding around the gasping and sweating Luffy.

"What happened? What's wrong with him?" Vivi asked worriedly.

"He seemed fine a few moments ago, but when I came in to wake him for lunch, he was already sweating and gasping." Sanji explained.

Nami placed a hand on his forehead, "Not good… The fever's really high… Get him some wet towels and blankets!"

"Right away!" Usopp dashed out of the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Vivi asked again.

Nami shook her head, "I'm not sure myself… It could be from the climate change but I highly doubt it knowing him… It might be poison, or some disease that he caught back on Little Garden…"

"He's going to be ok, isn't he?" Zoro frowned, worry obvious in his eyes.

"I can't say for sure… I don't enough medical knowledge to know what's wrong with him…" Nami furrowed her brows.

"What do we do?" Sanji wrung his hands in the air.

Usopp returned with a bucket of water and towels in his hands, a couple of blankets were slung under his arms as well.

Nami dipped a towel in the cool water and wiped the sweat off his brow, "We'll need to get him to a doctor… There's doctors in Alabasta right?" Nami turned towards Vivi.

"There is… But it'll take at least another week to reach there from here… I don't know if he can wait until then…" Vivi frowned.

Nami stuck a thermometer in Luffy's mouth, grabbing the blankets from Ussop and throwing it over Luffy. She pulled out the thermometer and glanced down at it in shock.

"It's at forty degrees! This isn't a joke at all!"

"Forty degrees?! Isn't his life in danger then?!" Vivi cried.

"Luffy's going to die?!" Usopp cried, running around the room.

"QUAACKK!" Carue ran beside Usopp in a panic as well.

"That monster is actually in danger?" Sanji gasped.

"Tch… And you talk to me about being strong…" Zoro gritted his teeth.

"Shut up! All of you! You're making it worse!" Vivi yelled at them.

Nami grasped the eternal pose in her hand, shoving it towards the guys, "All of you, make yourselves useful and get outside to check we're still on course. Unless we call for you, don't come back inside here!"

Everyone except Nami and Vivi marched out of the room obediently.

Nami turned her attention back to the groaning Luffy, "This isn't good, if we don't take him to a doctor soon, he might not make it…"

Vivi gritted her teeth, "Where can we get a doctor all the way out here?"

Nami unfolded a map she pulled out from her pockets, spreading it open on the floor.

She pointed to a position on the map, "This is our current estimated position, if this map is as accurate as I think it is, there should be land towards our south perhaps a few days away."

"We might be able to find a village there to find a doctor!" Vivi gasped, brightening up.

Nami nodded, "But we will have to make haste, I know Luffy is strong, but even I don't know how long he can hold up with that high of a fever… But if we change course now, it'll mean taking a longer time to reach Alabasta…"

Vivi frowned, "He's in more danger right now, we can take the detour."

Nami gritted her teeth as she contemplated on her next actions. Making up her mind, she stood up again and got a newspaper from the drawers in one of the desks, handing it to Vivi.

"What's this?" Vivi raised an eyebrow at Nami.

"Read the first section…"

Vivi glanced down at the newspaper, reading through the section that Nami had pointed out silently.

"What?" Vivi gasped, her hands trembling.

"It's as you saw… The situation is becoming worse…"

Vivi swallowed, "This can't be… half of the six hundred thousand strong Royal Armed Forces of Alabasta has switched sides to join the rebels?"

Nami nodded gravely, "The civil war is now at a critical phase… Whatever we decide to do now would be the turning point of the war…"

"But… What about Luffy? We can't just leave him like this…" Vivi gritted her teeth, glancing at the still gasping Commodore.

"That's why I'm leaving this decision to you, we can continue on our way towards Alabasta or change our course to those islands to find a doctor."

Before Vivi could respond, Luffy reached up a hand to grab Vivi's wrist, drawing shocked gasps from both girls.

"Don't change our course… We already promised Vivi… To take her back home…" Luffy gasped.

"Luffy… You're really sick now, you may even lose your life…" Nami chided him softly.

Luffy sat up from the bed, pushing away the blankets and setting aside the wet towel.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Vivi grabbed his wrist as he tried to stand up from the bed.

Luffy pulled his wrist away, walking unsteadily to the door, "I'm fine… There's no need to worry about me… Just maintain the course for Alabasta…"

"LUFFY! GET BACK HERE!" Nami yelled at him, storming towards him to bar his way. "I'm not letting you walk around when you're like that! Get back in bed!"

"I told you… I'm fine…" He tried to push past Nami but she grabbed his arm, shoving him back towards the room.

She poked a finger at his chest, staring straight into his eyes, "Did you not hear me? I said I'm not letting you walk around when you're this sick, so unless you want me to tie you to the bed, get your ass back in there."

Nami puffed her chest and crossed her arms, not moving an inch from in front of him.

Luffy sighed, looking past her shoulder at the door, "You guys can come in…"

Nami raised an eyebrow before turning towards the opened door, all the boys standing there scratching their heads in embarrassment.

"Don't tell me all of you were just listening in at the door…" Nami shook her fist at them.

"We were all worried about him too!" Usopp held up his hands defensively.

"Then who's making sure we're still on the right course?!" Nami threw a pillow at them.

Zoro smirked confidently, pointing towards a cloud, "Don't worry, I've made sure we have been heading straight for that cloud over there."

"Why that cloud in particular?" Nami raised an eyebrow at him.

Zoro puffed his chest, "That was where the pose was pointing to before."

"CLOUDS MOVE AND CHANGE SHAPE, YOU KNOW?!" Nami threw another pillow at him, smacking him right across the face.

"Alright… Since everyone's here… I'm saying that we continue… towards Alabasta…" Luffy wheezed. "We need to make sure… we get Vivi back home… in the fastest speed possible…"

Luffy tried to walk out of the room again but Nami stretched an arm in front of him, stopping him, "Right now, whether we go to Alabasta or not is not your decision to make. Our mission is to escort Princess Vivi to where she needs to go, so it's up to her to decide whether we continue on our course or not."

Everyone turned to look at Vivi who had the newspaper clutched firmly in her hands.

She glanced at everyone, stopping briefly at Luffy before returning her gaze back to the newspaper in her hands.

"Right now, the situation in my country is dire. With the desertion of the Royal Army, the rebellion has escalated to a phase where a million of my people may be killing each other for no good reason. In order to stop this, I need to get back home as soon as possible and stop Crocodile from achieving his goals."

Vivi looked up at the Marines, she could see Nami looking away with a conflicted look in her eyes.

Luffy was grinning at her, though sweat poured down his head, "Of course! Don't worry… about it, Vivi! We'll… definitely get you back home… in time!"

"That's why I ask of you to change course towards the nearest island to find a doctor for our Commodore. He's the only one that can stand against a Warlord, right?" Vivi smiled.

Everyone else brightened at that.

"You bet, we probably don't stand a chance even if we get there," Nami grinned.

"Heh, though it pains me to say so, I'm still not strong enough," Zoro grasped his sword.

"Well said, Vivi, I've fallen for you all over again!" Sanji smirked.

"Change course! Change course!" Usopp yelled, already running out of the room with Carue chasing after him.

"Vivi…" Luffy frowned. "I'm really fine…"

"Enough of that, you heard her! Turn this ship south!" Nami yelled, the rest rushing out to obey.

"Guys… I'm… really… fine…" Luffy felt his knees buckle as he collapsed, two sets of hands reaching out to catch him before he could reach the ground.

"Really, what a stubborn Commodore we have," Nami huffed, hoisting Luffy back into his bed with Vivi supporting his other side.

"I guess that's how he became so strong," Vivi chuckled, pulling the blankets over him.

"Thank you," Nami smiled at her, wetting another towel to put on Luffy's head.

"It's nothing, even I wouldn't want to see him suffer like this," Vivi smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry… for the trouble…" Luffy gasped weakly.

"Hush now, just focus on resting. You can repay us by beating up Crocodile once we get there," Nami grinned at him.

"Shishishi… I guess I can… live with that…" Luffy returned the grin.

* * *

The ship sailed south steadily, they had relocated Luffy from the men's room to the girls' room on the account that it had more space, ignoring Sanji's jealous protests. Both Nami and Vivi took turns to watch over Luffy while kicking out the constantly pleading Sanji to be let into the room with them. A day passed by without incident as the ship sailed to colder waters, snow falling from the sky.

Sanji was moping about the deck as usual, mumbling about how if he had been the one who fell sick instead, he could be inside the room with the girls and receiving their undivided attention and care.

Usopp was experimenting on new types of bullets on the deck while Carue watched over his shoulder with interest.

Zoro was on lookout duty as he scanned the horizon with a pair of binoculars, looking for any signs of the island.

"Hey…" Zoro called out from the crow's nest, getting the attention of the others on the deck.

"What? You found the island?" Usopp looked up hopefully, already abandoning his project.

"No…" Zoro glanced into his binoculars. "But do you think a person can stand on water?"

"What the heck are you talking about you shitty swordsman?" Sanji frowned up at him.

Zoro pointed a finger straight ahead, "How do you explain that then, you ero-cook?"

Usopp and Sanji turned their heads towards the prow of the ship, spotting the said person that was standing on top of the water casually.

He was wearing a checkered jester-like green-blue costume with a white cape tied around his shoulders. He had thick wavy lips and his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent sad expression. A large bow and a similarly large quiver of arrows sat prominently on his back.

A few minutes passed as both parties stared at each other.

"A cold day today, isn't it?" the strange man remarked suddenly.

Both Usopp and Sanji glanced at each other, shivering.

"Yeah, now that he said it, it's freezing…" Sanji frowned.

"Yes, it's snowing and everything too…" Usopp nodded.

Both parties resumed staring at each other in silence.

Suddenly, a large, round vessel exploded out of the sea, causing Merry to shake uncontrollably among the crashing waves.

"What the hell is that?!" Sanji yelled, clinging on to the railings.

"Is that a watermelon?!" Usopp screamed, tumbling on the deck.

* * *

"What the hell is going on outside?!" Nami yelled inside the room, holding on to the bed to make sure Luffy doesn't fall out of it.

"Is it an earthquake?" Vivi frowned, similarly clinging on to the bed.

They clung on desperately for the next few seconds as the ship finally calmed.

Luffy cracked open an eye, frowning, "What's… going on?"

"I don't know, it might be an undersea volcano erupting underneath us… But I don't think there's any in this region…" Nami gritted her teeth, wetting another towel to put on his head.

"I'll… Go see…" Luffy began to sit up.

"No! We already told you not to move!" Vivi protested, pushing him back down on the bed.

"You stay here," Nami pointed a finger threateningly her Commodore. "I'll go check."

"Nami… wait…" Luffy began, but Nami had already rushed outside.

"What's wrong?" Vivi asked, dabbing the sweat off his brow.

Luffy gritted his teeth, "I hear… many voices… outside…"

"Voices? Like how you heard Igaram's?" Vivi froze.

Luffy nodded weakly, "There's a lot… of people outside…"

Vivi glanced towards the door worriedly, "Why would there be a lot of people outside in the middle of the ocean?"

Luffy sat up suddenly, tossing the blanket aside.

"Luffy! We already told you—"

"They drew their weapons…" Luffy glared at the door, standing up from the bed.

"But, you're still sick!" Vivi protested, reaching out a hand to stop him.

Luffy side stepped the reaching arm, glancing at her, "I'm a Marine… I need to protect my crew."

Before Vivi could protest again, Luffy had already disappeared from her sight, the doors leading towards the deck hanging wide open where they were closed moments before.

Luffy found himself on the deck of the ship, surrounded by rifle wielding soldiers. All of his crew mates on the deck had at least three soldiers pointing their rifles at them.

"What's… What's going on?!" Luffy demanded, wheezing.

"Luffy!" His crew frowned upon seeing him, worried the soldiers would turn on him as well.

Two soldiers stepped towards him with their rifles drawn, pointing them at his head.

"This is a Marine ship… All of you… should know what it means… to draw your weapons here…" Luffy frowned at the soldiers.

"Mahahahaha, of course we do! We're pirates after all!" An overweight man with tin plates on his cylinder-shaped jaw stepped on the deck.

He had dark violet hair that was partly covered by a hippo cape worn over his shoulders. Tin plate armor covered his upper body while a pair of purple and orange shorts were held up by a brown belt around his waist. Brown thick gloves covered his hands which he used to hold on to an exquisitely carved knife that had a piece of meat stabbed on top of it.

He opened his mouth wide and munched down on the meat, snapping the blade of the knife inside his mouth.

"He ate the knife too?!" Sanji gasped.

"Urgh… it hurts just to see it…" Usopp grimaced.

"I am Wapol, King of Drum kingdom. You guys don't happen to have an eternal pose that points there, do you?" The overweight man glanced at the crew.

"Nope, never even heard of that place," Sanji spat at him.

"Now could you all please leave?" Nami pleaded hopefully.

"Oh there's no need to rush, if you don't have it, we'll just take all the money you have," Wapol frowned at them.

Spotting Nami, he smirked and pointed a finger at her, "And while we're at it, I'll take the girl too."

"What…" Nami gasped as the soldier closest to her grabbed her by the arm, pulling her towards their ship.

Before the soldier could take another step, he felt an excruciating pain coming from his left shoulder. Looking down, he realized there was a finger embedded inside his shoulder. Nami gasped as Luffy pulled out his bloodied finger slowly, turning to regard the still confused soldiers.

"I will… only say this once… Get off my ship…" Luffy wheezed painfully.

"Maaaahahaha, you don't look so good, are you sure you should even be standing around?" Wapol laughed.

"Luffy…" Nami winced, seeing him swaying unsteadily.

"I will not ask again…" Luffy frowned.

"Mahahaha! Men! Get rid of them!"

"Guess we have to fight huh," Sanji spat.

"Should've done so from the start," Zoro unclasped his sword.

"Can't… Can't we talk about this?" Usopp glanced nervously at the rifles pointed at him.

Without warning, explosions rocked the pirate ship behind them.

Everyone turned to see fire spewing out from Wapol's ship with the crew frantically scurrying about to put it out.

"What's going on?!" Wapol demanded.

"Your Majesty! A Marine battleship is coming towards us! We need to leave!" The man who was wearing the jester costume shouted from the ship.

"Damn it! It doesn't matter, we have hostages here!" Wapol turned back to look at the Straw Hats, only to find all of the soldiers subdued on the ground. Each of the Straw Hats stood between him and their Commodore protectively, weapons drawn.

"I suggest you take your men and leave now," Nami waved her staff at him.

"You damn Marines…" Wapol gritted his teeth.

"Your Majesty! We can't take more of this bombardment! We need to dive, now!" Another man with an impressive afro on his head shouted.

"Tch… I'll not forget this!" Wapol shouted, opening his mouth wide and swallowing all his men before running back to his ship.

"Did he just… eat his own men?" Sanji stared wide-eyed at the departing pirate.

"Devil… Fruit…" Luffy wheezed, holding on to the mast for support.

"What kind of Devil Fruit would let him eat his own people?!" Usopp gasped.

Hearing no answer, they turned to find Luffy collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.

"Luffy!" They yelled out in shock.

Zoro rushed to his side, pulling his arm over his shoulder just as Vivi burst out on to the deck.

"What's going on?!" Vivi gasped at the pirate ship that was still in the midst of bombardment.

"Questions later! He's hyperventilating!" Zoro yelled, pulling Luffy back into the room.

Nami rushed forward to hold the door for him, "Hurry! His condition is getting worse!"

Zoro grunted as he carried Luffy into the room, carefully placing him back on to the bed.

"We'll take over from here," Nami shooed Zoro away as Vivi tried her best to wipe the sweat off the Commodore's head. "In the meantime, go flag down that Marine ship, there's bound to be a doctor on board."

Zoro rushed out of the room without complaint, immediately yelling at the others to signal the Marine ship for help.

* * *

"Tch… They got away…" Smoker grunted, watching the pirate ship dive back down into the sea.

"You don't suppose they might be the organization we were talking about?" Tashigi asked.

Smoker took a drag of his cigar, frowning, "Perhaps… They seem too well equipped for a bunch of no-name pirates."

"Captain Smoker!" A marine yelled from the deck. "The ship in front is requesting for help!"

"Huh, figured they might have run into some complications. Steer the ship towards them!" Smoker ordered.

"Aye, sir!"

* * *

"Captain Smoker," Zoro grunted, saluting as Smoker stepped on to the deck.

"At ease, what's going on here, Commander?"

"Luffy's down with a really high fever," Sanji explained. "He's in desperate need of a doctor right now."

"Tch… Tashigi, call our doctor here." Smoker frowned. "Where is he?"

Sanji pointed towards the door with a finger.

Tossing his cigars aside, he rapped loudly on the door before entering, furrowing his brows as soon as he saw Luffy in the bed.

Nami and Vivi stepped aside as he approached.

"Who is he?" Vivi whispered.

"Captain Smoker, a friend of his, we met him back at Loguetown," Nami whispered back after saluting him.

"Luffy," Smoker called out, kneeling beside the bed.

Luffy cracked open an eye, grinning when he spotted Smoker.

"Hey… Smokey…" Luffy gasped weakly.

"This isn't like you at all…" Smoker frowned, not used to seeing Luffy being so vulnerable.

"Hehe… Sorry…" Luffy coughed.

"Captain Smoker! I brought the doctor!" Tashigi barged into the room with an elderly bearded man in tow.

The doctor immediately went to Luffy's side, opening his bag and proceeded to check on him.

"What's wrong with him?" Smoker furrowed his brows.

"It seems like he has contracted some sort of disease…" The doctor frowned.

"What kind of disease? Can you cure him?" Nami stepped forward.

"That's the problem…" The doctor sighed. He pulled Luffy's shirt back to reveal a nasty bite mark on his left shoulder.

"It seems he's been bitten by some kind of poisonous insect, but the symptoms he's showing are like none that I've ever seen before…"

Smoker frowned, turning to Nami, "Where did you go before this happened?"

"It's an island called Little Garden…" Nami answered shakily.

"Little Garden?" Tashigi raised an eyebrow.

Smoker cursed under his breath, "It's an island that's stuck in the prehistoric age, isn't it?"

Nami nodded firmly.

"That would explain it…" The doctor gasped. "This is probably caused by an insect that has probably been extinct in the rest of the world… Even if I do know what it is, I doubt I have a cure for it right now…"

"Is there nothing we can do to save him?" Vivi gasped.

The doctor scratched his chin, "There's nothing that I can do short of alleviating his pain… If we can't bring him somewhere with better equipped facilities… I fear his life may be in danger…"

"Damn it, where's the nearest Marine base?" Smoker turned to Tashigi.

"At least a week's sail away, sir…" Tashigi frowned.

The doctor shook his head, "I'm afraid that would take too long…"

"We can continue on our original course southwards... There's an island nearby that should only be another day's sail away. If there's a town there, I'm sure there's medical facilities as well." Nami suggested.

Smoker crossed his arms, "If that's the case, we'll have to make sure we get him there fast. Tashigi, steer the ship south, we're escorting them there."

"Aye, sir!" Tashigi rushed out of the room.

"And you," Smoker gestured with his chin at Vivi. "I take it you're Nefertari Vivi, the missing princess of Alabasta?"

"Ye… Yes…" Vivi stuttered, not expecting the Captain to address her so suddenly.

"You guys will have to explain what's going on to me later," Smoker nodded his head at Nami. "Continue your course towards those islands."

"Aye, sir," Nami saluted as Smoker stepped outside the room, leaving the doctor to take care of Luffy.

* * *

"So you're telling me… You didn't actually get kidnapped by this… Baroque Works, but instead infiltrated it as an agent?" Smoker raised an eyebrow.

He was leaning against the main mast of the Going Merry as Vivi stood in front of him, nodding firmly. The doctor and Nami remained inside the room with Luffy while the rest of the crew busied themselves with staying on course.

"And this organization is causing the civil war in your country just so they can take over Alabasta?"

Vivi nodded again.

"And the leader of said organization is none other than the Warlord, Crocodile, himself?"

"Exactly," Vivi confirmed.

Smoker scratched his chin, "This is more serious than I thought… I'll have to report to Headquarters about this… This is definitely bad enough that his position as a Shichibukai would be revoked."

"What are they going to do about it?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, leaning against the railing on the deck.

Smoker glanced at the sky, thinking for a while, "They'll probably want us to go check it out first and send evidence of his criminal activities. Once they have confirmation of his treachery, they'll revoke his status as a Shichibukai and he'll become a wanted criminal again."

"Tch, so in the end, we'll still have to get our hands dirty huh?" Zoro frowned.

Smoker shrugged, "They do need to maintain the reputation of the Warlords, they don't just give those positions out to anyone, you know. So unless they have concrete proof, the World Government would still let him keep his position."

"Not much of a choice for us then...," Usopp grimaced.

Smoker nodded, "The position of a Shichibukai is considered to be prestigious after all."

"So we're still going to kick that guy's ass, right?" Sanji commented offhandedly from the crow's nest.

"Heh, most probably," Smoker grinned. "Once Luffy gets better, we'll head directly for Alabasta."

"Speaking of which, I see land ahead," Sanji pointed towards the horizon.

"LAND HO!" A marine shouted from the battleship sailing alongside Merry.

A snow covered island came into view, several drum shaped mountains that reached towards the sky protruded out proudly.

"Make preparations to land then," Smoker grunted.

* * *

Both ships sailed into the river leading inland, dropping anchor near a waterfall.

"Alright, my men will watch the ships, let's move Luffy out and find a town." Smoker ordered, already preparing to disembark.

The Straw Hats scurried to obey, tying Luffy's sleeping form on Sanji's back. As the Marines prepared to land, a horde of men suddenly appeared on the shore, armed to the teeth.

"Marines? What are they doing here?"

"Did they come here because of those pirates?"

"A little bit late of them, don't you think?"

"I'm just glad it isn't more pirates…"

A hulking man wearing a long, white fur-lined green tunic with a matching fur cap that covered his ears stepped forward from the crowd.

"Marines, have you come to aid us?" The man reached out his hands, palms facing upwards.

"Aid you?" Smoker raised an eyebrow. "What happened here?"

The man frowned, "So you didn't come here because of the pirate attack?"

Smoker crossed his arms, "We did come across a bunch of pirates some time ago, but we fought them off. Not sure if they were the ones you're talking about…"

"I see… At least we'll have one less pirate to worry about…" The man shrugged before raising an eyebrow at Smoker. "So if I may ask, if it isn't for the pirate attack, what business do you have with our country?"

Smoker jerked a thumb towards the gasping Luffy, "We have a crew member that's really sick and we need medical facilities not found on our ship."

The man nodded in understanding, "I understand… Unfortunately, we only have a single doctor in this country and she's a bit of a witch."

"Oh, someone like Nami then?" Zoro smirked.

Nami frowned at him while Sanji smacked him on the head, "Don't call Nami a witch you stupid swordsman!"

"Damn ero-cook," Zoro glanced away.

"What do you mean by 'witch'?" Smoker asked, ignoring the scuffle behind him.

The man sighed, "I'll lead you to our village, then you can see it for yourselves."

The Marines glanced at one another before finally stepping off the ship.

* * *

The man had introduced himself as Dalton, the captain of the island's guards while he led them towards their village. He explained that a few months ago, a pirate crew of five had attacked their country and had destroyed the country without breaking a sweat, thus they now stationed guards along the shore line to guard themselves against any other pirates that might come along.

"Destroying a country with only five people?" Vivi gasped.

"Indeed," Dalton frowned. "The captain of the pirate crew was known as Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard?" Smoker scratched his chin. "Never heard of him…"

"It doesn't matter now, we finally rebuilt what was destroyed and now we protect ourselves from other pirates." Dalton grunted just as the village came into view.

He led them into one of the house in the village, setting down his things.

"You can use the bed over there, I'll heat up the room in a moment." Dalton gestured towards a bed in the corner.

Sanji dropped Luffy on top of the bed while Nami threw a blanket over him.

"Can you tell us more about this 'witch'?" Vivi asked as Dalton started the fire.

"If you look out the window, you should be able to see those mountains." Dalton gestured with his chin.

"You mean those cylinder-shaped things?" Sanji frowned.

"Yeah, they're called the Drum Rockies. And if you look at the tallest one in the middle, there should be a castle right on top of it."

Smoker frowned at Dalton, "Don't tell me…"

Dalton nodded, confirming his fears, "It's as you thought. Dr. Kureha, the only doctor in this whole country, lives at the very top in that castle."

"Tch… Of all the places she could be…" Sanji stared up at the mountain from the window.

"I guess we should call her down here, then?" Usopp scratched his head.

Dalton sighed, standing up from the fire place he lighted, "As much as I would like to, there's simply no way to contact her at all."

"What?! And she calls herself a doctor?!" Zoro gritted his teeth, glancing at Luffy.

"Well… Her skills as a doctor is undeniable, but she somewhat has a screw loose in her head… She's almost a hundred and forty years old after all."

"How is she even still alive?!" Nami frowned.

"So what happens when anyone else needs a doctor?" Vivi asked.

Dalton scratched his head, "Well… She comes down from the mountain whenever she feels like it, finds patients to treat, then takes whatever she wants from them as payment."

"Sounds like what a pirate would do to me…" Smoker frowned.

"Pirate or not, as long as she can get Luffy better, it doesn't matter," Nami gritted her teeth.

"How does she even get down from there?" Vivi narrowed her eyes at the mountain.

Dalton crossed his arms, "According to some people, she supposedly rides down the mountain on a sleigh on moonlit nights, that's why people call her a witch."

"Tch… Isn't there anyway we can get her to come here?" Smoker gritted his teeth.

"Unfortunately no… I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for her to come down the mountain…" Dalton sighed.

"And how long is that going to take?" Nami frowned.

Dalton scratched his chin, "She only recently came down yesterday… So I doubt she would actually come down anytime soon… If I had to guess, probably another three days or so…"

"We can't wait three days! He already has a forty degrees fever!" Usopp yelled.

"Forty-two degrees now…" Vivi gasped when she checked the thermometer in Luffy's mouth.

"Forty-two degrees?! That's not good… He really needs medical attention right now..." Dalton bit his thumb.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Nami cried.

"This… Short of climbing up the mountain itself… There's no other faster way…" Dalton frowned.

Sanji clenched his fist, "If he climbs up the mountain in this condition, no doubt he'll die…"

"How is it possible that there's even only a single doctor in this whole country in the first place?" Smoker furrowed his brows.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled out, causing everyone to turn towards Luffy, who now sat up straight on the bed, blankets tossed aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nami cried, trying to push him back down on the bed.

Luffy stopped her with an upraised hand, "I just… have to get up… that mountain… right?"

"What are you planning?" Smoker stepped in front of him.

"I can… reach the top… with Geppo… by myself…" Luffy gasped, pushing himself off the bed only to stumble forward.

"You idiot," Smoker caught him before he fell on the ground. "Is there a path up the mountain?"

"Not that I know of," Dalton shook his head.

"I guess we have no choice then," Smoker grunted, hefting Luffy over his shoulders.

"What are you doing?!" Nami demanded.

"I'm gonna carry him up the mountain," Smoker deadpanned.

"What?" Vivi widened her eyes.

"You heard me," Smoker grunted. "Someone help me tie him on my back."

Usopp took up a length of rope while Sanji held Luffy steady on his back.

"You can't be serious!" Nami protested.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Dalton frowned.

"I'm a smoke man, I can just propel myself up the mountain once I reach the bottom of it." Smoker grinned.

"I'm coming along too," Sanji stepped in front of him.

Smoker frowned, "What are you going to do?"

"There's a species of extremely violent and carnivorous rabbits on the path towards the mountain, if you come across a pack of them, you're done for," Dalton warned.

"There you go, you could use an escort, I doubt you can fight them off with Luffy on your back, can you?" Sanji grinned.

"If that's the case, then I'm coming too." Zoro stepped towards them.

"Tch… Fine, but you'll have to pull your own weight, ya hear?" Smoker narrowed his eyes at them.

"Of course," Both Sanji and Zoro grinned.

* * *

"It didn't use to be like this…" Dalton frowned, watching the three men running off towards the mountain.

"What do you mean?" Vivi turned to him.

"This country used to be a prosperous one, until the late king died and his son took over. That was when his tyrannical rule began…" Dalton explained. "There used to be a lot of doctors on this island, but that damned Wapol wanted to monopolize the trade and chased out all the other doctors off the island except for his own."

"Did you say Wapol?" Usopp gasped.

Dalton lifted an eyebrow at him, "What? Do you know him?"

"We ran into a pirate called Wapol just some time ago, right before we came here!" Usopp frowned.

"You met Wapol here?!" Dalton gasped.

"So he's supposed to be the king of this country? Did he get chased out by the pirates that came a few months ago?" Vivi tilted her head.

Dalton gritted his teeth, "Most definitely not! That accursed man… He didn't even try to save this country when the pirates invaded, he took his men and escaped to the sea faster than anyone else!"

Vivi's eyes grew wide at this, "And he calls himself a King?!"

"That's why some of us saw the pirate invasion as a blessing… With it came the end of Wapol's tyrannical rule." Dalton clenched his fists. "However, if what you said about meeting him near this island is true… Then there's a relatively high chance he might return again."

"What do we do?" Nami frowned.

"I can only prepare for the worst…" Dalton grabbed his weapons from the corner of the room, walking towards the door. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like, I have to go prepare the guards."

The three watched Dalton go before turning to each other.

"What do you think?" Usopp nodded towards the door.

"I don't like this one bit," Nami said sternly.

"It doesn't seem like anyone wants Wapol to return either…" Vivi bit her thumb.

"Shall we go organize a resistance then?" Nami grinned.

The other two grinned back, nodding at each other.


	16. Chapter 16: What It Takes To Be A Doctor

_A/N: Well this one took longer to edit than I expected, but I'm finally done with it. :D_

 _Now all of the chapters I did over those two weeks are officially up, and I'm back to writing from scratch again. You guys have no idea how many face palms I had when I went to check the wiki and chapters to realize how many mistakes I made for these three chapters. :P_

 _About how Robin is joining the crew, I admit I was tempted to have Luffy sign her off as 'dead' to legitimize her Marine identity and also allow the Enies Lobby arc to take place when the truth gets exposed... But I found another way to go about it and I decided to stick to it for now. How? We'll I shan't be telling yet :P_

 _As usual enjoy! This is the longest chapter I've done so far :D_

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Zoro raised his eyebrow, running alongside Smoker.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm sure!" Smoker yelled back. He jerked his chin towards the mountain in the distance, "The mountain's right **there**! We just have to head straight towards it!"

Zoro frowned, pointing to his right, "I could have sworn the path was that way…"

"Could you be any more clueless?" Sanji sighed.

"Shut up ero-cook! I know what I'm doing!" Zoro yelled back.

Luffy stirred slightly on Smoker's back, groaning.

"Shut up, both of you! If Luffy's condition gets any worse, you'll have several hells to pay for!" Smoker shouted them down.

Zoro glanced at Luffy, "He'll be fine."

Smoker gritted his teeth, "It's not about whether he's going to be fine or not, it's about what might happen if certain people find out about this..."

"Why? What's going to happen?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

Smoker shivered though not from the cold, "You don't want to know…"

* * *

 _Somewhere else on the Grand Line_

Garp glared at the piece of Vivre card that had Luffy's name on it. It was less than half the original size now with the ends of the paper smoldering dangerously. In front of him, both Helmeppo and Coby were training themselves diligently, sparring against each other with wooden swords.

Garp paid no attention to them however, he just hoped a certain individual in the calm belt might have chosen not to notice her part of Luffy's Vivre card today. Unfortunately, knowing how she was like, she would never let it out of her sights.

Most likely, Sengoku was already getting an earful from her right now, probably with threats of war too.

"Luffy…" Garp gripped the piece of paper tightly, his attempts to contact him through the den den mushi ended up fruitless. Fortunately, a few hours ago, Smoker had already contacted them about Luffy's condition and the possibility of Crocodile's treachery, prompting them to send a warship to Alabasta to investigate.

Garp finally turned his attention back to the two new trainees he had taken under his wing, both already panting and gasping from the strain of their training. Garp frowned, Luffy had endured a training a hundred times more intensive than the one they were going through, he wondered if the others had been right about him being too tough on Luffy.

He huffed indignantly, of course not, Luffy didn't even mutter a complaint even once after all! That's why he's already so strong!

Perhaps even a little too strong? Garp scratched his chin, a little bit unsure now.

He shook those thoughts away immediately, of course there's no such thing as being too strong. In fact, if he had a say in anything, he would still say Luffy was still weak. He glanced down at the Vivre card again, if he was already strong, he wouldn't be struggling so much now, would he?

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _Luffy! Put your back into it! Your haki's still not strong enough!" Garp yelled, swinging another fist at him._

 _Luffy took the brunt of the blow with his upraised arm, but Garp still managed to fling him away, smashing him into the wall at the other end of the training field, throwing up a cloud of dust.  
_

" _Vice Admiral Garp…" A marine gulped._

" _What?" Garp glared back at the marine, causing him to shrink back._

" _Maybe… You should go a little easier on trainee Luffy… He only awoken his haki yesterday, after all…" The marine swallowed nervously._

" _Nonsense! There's no 'easier' in the path to becoming stronger!" Garp glanced back at the wall, the dust clearing to reveal a battered Luffy pushing himself up._

" _Luffy! You don't want anyone else to end up like Sabo, do you?!"_

 _Luffy's eyes widened at the mention of that name. He gritted his teeth as he remembered watching the boat explode in front of him before being engulfed in a wall of flames. He never felt so powerless in his life before._

 _His brothers had always protected him, but no one protected his brothers in return. He had sworn to himself then that he will definitely grow stronger no matter the cost and protect everything he held dear._

 _He would definitely become a Marine.  
_

" _Grandpa!" Luffy clenched his fists, blood dripping down his hand as his nails cut into his skin._

 _Garp grinned at him, seeing the raging fire in his eyes._

 _Luffy charged towards his grandpa, his fists raised and infused with haki._

" _MAKE ME STRONGER!"_

* * *

"Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi!" Nami slammed open the door without warning, shocking everyone inside the ship's war room.

"What… What is it, Commander Nami?" Tashigi saluted.

"We need to organize a defense force against a group of pirates that's heading towards us right now!" Nami yelled, pointing out the door.

Tashigi gasped, "Pirates? They're coming here?"

Nami nodded, "It's the same group that we saw the other day."

"Un... Understood! We shall not allow them to escape a second time! Men! To arms!" Tashigi ordered.

"Aye, aye!" The marines immediately leapt to their feet.

Tashigi grabbed her swords, belting them on, "Where is Captain Smoker?"

"He's currently taking Luffy to the doctor, I doubt he'll make it back in time…" Usopp appeared at the doorway.

Tashigi bit her thumb, "It can't be help then, we're on our own… Will you two be taking over command?"

Both of them shook their heads frantically.

Nami waved her hands quickly, "Neither of us are trained in leadership at all, you can direct your men as you see fit,"

"Understood! Men! Raise the anchor! We'll meet those pirates out at sea! Don't let those pirates dock on the island!"

The marines immediately scurried out to obey.

As the three Marine officers stepped out on to the deck, Nami glanced towards the mountains that towered over the island.

"I hope those three managed to get Luffy to safety…" Nami frowned.

"Don't worry, those three can take on anything that threatens them. Luffy will be fine," Usopp placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

* * *

Meanwhile, said three men stood face to face with a bunch of bear sized rabbits.

"So are these the rabbits that Dalton guy was talking about?" Zoro grunted, unsheathing his swords.

"Leave them to us, Captain Smoker, you should go on ahead," Sanji tapped his foot on the snow.

Smoker frowned, looking around him, "I would like to… But it seems they have us surrounded…"

All three men stood with their backs to each other while the rabbits, known as Lapins, stared down at them with angry eyes.

"Should we fight them?" Zoro gripped his swords.

Sanji glanced at the panting Luffy, "No, Luffy's condition might worsen from the fight. He's already in critical condition right now…"

"Tch… Why do they have to appear right now of all times…" Smoker furrowed his brows.

"So... You got a plan?" Zoro held his swords defensively in front of him.

"We'll blow open a path towards the mountain, then make a run for it." Sanji grunted, eyeing the Lapins that barred the path towards the mountain.

Smoker nodded an affirmative, making sure Luffy was securely tied to his back, preparing to propel himself with his smoke.

"NOW!" Sanji yelled, leaping towards one of the Lapins and kicked it away.

Smoker changed the bottom half of his body into smoke while holding on to Luffy tightly, propelling himself through the opening Sanji created.

A Lapin on the other side roared and tried to strike Smoker before he could get through.

"Get your paws off him!" Zoro slashed his sword, deflecting the Lapin's strike away as Smoker landed in the snow outside of the Lapin encirclement.

The three men started sprinting away, running as fast as they could as the Lapins chased after them.

One of it caught up to them, lashing out towards Sanji.

"These things are fast!" Sanji furrowed his brows as he leapt over the slash.

"We can't outrun them! They're too fast!" Zoro yelled, ducking under a tree a Lapin threw at them.

Sanji and Zoro landed beside each other, facing the Lapins.

"Go! We'll hold them off!" Sanji yelled towards Smoker.

"Make sure you get him there safely!" Zoro added.

Smoker grunted an affirmative, sprinting towards the mountain with Luffy on his back.

Sanji lit a cigarette while Zoro tied his bandana on his head.

"Never thought I'd have to fight alongside you again, you brute," Sanji grinned.

"Heh, same to you, ero-cook." Zoro bit down on his sword.

"Let's make this fast, he might encounter more Lapins on the way."

Zoro smirked, "You take the right half, and I'll take the left side half!"

Both men faced the Lapins as they roared, charging towards them.

" **Party Table Kick Course!** "

" **Tatsu Maki!** "

The swordsman and cook lunged towards the Lapins, striking down those that dared to attack them while making sure none of them goes after Smoker.

"These guys are strong!" Sanji frowned, kicking a Lapin across the head, only to watch it stand up to attack him again.

"Huh, it's just you who's not strong enough," Zoro grunted, although he was forced on the defensive with so many Lapins jumping towards him at once.

"Shut it shitty swordsman, I don't see you having a good time either!" Sanji ducked under a swipe from a Lapin before kicking it away.

"Heheh, don't you know? I'm trying to put myself in more danger to unlock that haki thing," Zoro grinned, slashing at a Lapin.

Sanji deflected a punch away with his kick before kicking upwards with his other leg at the Lapin's chin, "You actually think that's going to work?!"

Zoro grunted with effort as he crossed his swords to block a swipe from another Lapin before slashing with the sword in his mouth at said Lapin, "It worked for our Commodore, so why not me?"

"Because he's a monster!" Sanji yelled incredulously, spinning on the shoulder of a Lapin as a pivot while kicking at the Lapins surrounding it.

"Then I'll just have to turn into a monster too!" Zoro grinned, slashing out his swords at the two Lapins that stood before him.

"You crazy bastard," Sanji couldn't help but let a grin creep on to his face, leaping to kick at the neck of another Lapin.

"Let's finish this up and join Smoker," Zoro grunted, staring down the last few Lapins.

It seemed they were hesitating on attacking the two Marines after witnessing their strength, but they didn't want to let their fallen brethren go unavenged either.

Both Marines noticed the Lapins hesitation.

"We didn't kill them, if that's what you're worried about," Sanji jerked his chin at the fallen Lapins before turning to Zoro worriedly. "You didn't… Did you?"

"Nah… They'll live… Probably…" Zoro muttered the last part to himself.

"If you let us go, you can bring your friends back. I'm sure we all know how this is going to end, aren't we?" Sanji grinned.

The remaining Lapins looked at each other before finally dropping their bulking shoulders, working on pulling their brethren out from the snow.

"Let's go, that smoke guy's defenseless without us." Sanji turned and ran down the path just as Zoro sheathed his swords.

He ran silently for a while, following the footprints Smoker had left behind for them to follow.

"He shouldn't be that far ahead, we just need to follow his footprints."

As Sanji continued to run, he finally noticed it was oddly silent behind him. He turned his head and instead of seeing the green haired swordsman, there was just endless piles of snow.

"That stupid brute!"

 _Elsewhere_

"That stupid cook got lost didn't he?" Zoro frowned, looking around and seeing nothing but trees and snow.

"Hmph, I guess I should probably head… Er… That way…" Zoro sprinted towards the opposite direction of the mountain.

* * *

Smoker didn't turn even as the sounds of battle halted abruptly behind him, fully concentrating on the path ahead of him.

"This stupid doctor… Why the hell does she have to stay in such a ridiculous place…" Smoker glared up at the mountain that still seemed so far away.

He glanced over his shoulder to check on the still unconscious Luffy, his breathing was strained and rugged, the fact that his face seemed to be an odd shade of blue didn't help either. Smoker turned back and hastened his speed.

He was just glad he wasn't the one being chewed out for Luffy's current condition, for once, he was grateful he wasn't ranked really high up in the Marines.

He patted his jacket lightly, breathing an odd sigh of relief that he didn't bring his den den mushi with him. He made a silent prayer towards the one who had to answer it in his stead on the ship. With luck, the higher ups wouldn't redirect any angry callers to him.

* * *

Meanwhile, on said Marine ship, all the Marines had their weapons loaded and ready to bombard the pirates while Dalton had organized a resistance force holding a defensive line near the river mouth.

The Marines had maneuvered the ship to block the river mouth, aiming its side towards the sea.

Tashigi herself stood at the prow of the battleship, scanning the horizon for any signs of the pirates while Usopp and Nami stood alongside the rest of the marines on the deck. They had decided to leave Vivi and Carue in the village in case Smoker's group came back and needed directions.

A den den mushi rang nearby, breaking the tension that hung in the air.

Tashigi glanced back just as a marine ran up to her with the den den mushi, saluting with it in his hands, "Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi! It's Captain Smoker's!"

Tashigi pursed her lips as she took the den den mushi from the marine and placed the receiver in her ear.

"He… Hello?"

"I don't suppose you're Captain Smoker?" A sharp voice questioned on the other end.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, Captain Smoker is not available at the moment. May I ask who you are?"

"Not available? What could he possibly be busy with then?" Displeasure was evident in his voice.

Tashigi frowned, "I will need you to state your identity before I can disclose that information…"

"Dracule Mihawk, now will you tell me where your Captain is, Miss Tashigi?"

Tashigi visibly stiffened at the name, stifling a gasp, "I'm… I'm sorry for my rudeness!"

"Enough, just let me talk to Captain Smoker," Mihawk grunted.

"Er… He's not currently here, sir…"

"Tch… Then do you at least know what's going on with Luffy?"

"Co… Commodore Luffy? He's er… He's currently down with some kind of sickness and Captain Smoker has taken him to a doctor…"

"I see, he'll be fine won't he?" Mihawk's words seemed to cut the air itself.

Tashigi could feel the tension tighten around her neck, "Ye… Yes, sir…"

"Hmph, I'll hold you to your words, Miss Tashigi."

Mihawk hung up without waiting for a reply.

"Who was that?" Nami asked, stepping beside Tashigi.

"The Shichibukai… Dracule Mihawk…" Tashigi stuttered, handing the den den mushi back to the marine.

"Mihawk?!" Usopp gasped.

Tashigi nodded slowly, "What's Commodore Luffy's relationship with him?"

Nami scratched her chin, "I'm not really sure myself… But they seemed to be on really good terms…"

"Good enough to be really casual with each other if I might add…" Usopp snorted.

"Why did he call you?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

Tashigi shuddered, "He asked about Luffy's condition... he didn't sound happy though..."

The other two shuddered as well, clearly remembering Mihawk's display of his powers.

"On another note, the pirates are really taking their time getting here…" Tashigi frowned.

Nami turned towards the horizon, empty of any ships, "Well, we did spot them near the island, if that Wapol had any intentions of returning, he would."

While the Marines stared out at the horizon, a large shadow passed underneath their ship.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on an island far away_

Dracule Mihawk glared at the smoldering Vivre card with disdain, twirling it in between his fingers. He sat on his plush couch inside his empty castle, with nothing to accompany him but his own thoughts.

A wine glass lay shattered on the ground, spilling the dark red liquid all over the floor but Mihawk made no attempt to clean it.

"Down with a sickness…" Mihawk narrowed his eyes, refusing to believe that monster by the name of Luffy could actually fall sick in the first place.

He opened his hand facing upwards to let the Vivre card lie straight down on his palm, watching it slide across his hand on its own. He clenched his fist and frowned, glancing towards the direction where the Vivre card had slid towards.

"If you die now, Luffy... I'll be really disappointed in you..."

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Mihawk stood in the training field, watching the clouds float by across the sky. The door behind him slid open and Garp stepped out silently with a group of marines following closely behind.  
_

" _You better have a good reason for me to be here, Garp the Fist," Mihawk half turned his head to stare at Garp with an eye._

 _Garp grinned wickedly, "Of course, of course. I have request for you today."_

 _Mihawk raised an eyebrow, "A request? That's rare coming from you…"_

 _Garp stepped aside to reveal Luffy behind him, bandages wrapped around his head, arms and legs._

" _I believe you two are already acquainted?" Garp patted his grandson on his shoulder._

" _Hawky!" Luffy grinned._

" _Luffy," Mihawk nodded towards the boy before glancing back to Garp. "What do you want?"_

" _Spar with him," Garp said simply, shocking everyone around who heard it._

 _Mihawk looked at Luffy with a critical eye, "No offense, Garp, but you might want to have your head checked. The boy shouldn't even be walking around with those injuries right now, let alone spar with me."_

 _Luffy stepped towards Mihawk before Garp could respond, "Hawky, I personally request to spar with you."_

 _Mihawk looked down at the boy, Luffy's eyes held no hesitation nor was there any hint of his suffering._

" _So be it, but know that I will not hold back," Mihawk drew the sword on his back, descending the stairs onto the field._

" _Shishishi! I won't have it any other way!" Luffy followed Mihawk gingerly._

 _Without so much as a signal, Mihawk lunged towards Luffy while he descended the stairs, swinging the back of his blade towards Luffy's side. He frowned when he realized Luffy had encased his whole body in armament haki, his arm already up to block his blade._

" _I thought you said you won't hold back?" Luffy frowned, glancing down at Mihawk's sword._

" _Bwahahahaha! You'd do well not to look down on him, Hawkeyes. If you must know, he only awakened his haki about a week ago." Garp laughed, watching from the side._

 _Mihawk glanced back at Luffy, "Such level of mastery in such a short time… I have no doubt your grandfather made you survive through hell for this."_

" _Shishishi, I guess so," Luffy laughed lightly, lowering his arms as Mihawk drew back his sword, stepping on to the field._

" _Kukukuku, I apologize for my earlier disrespect, Luffy." Mihawk turned his blade around, pointing the edge of the blade outwards instead of inwards like before. "I shall take you on with all my might."_

" _Gladly," Luffy lowered himself into his stance._

 _The two clashed again, both sides not holding back this time._

* * *

Smoker glanced up at the intimidating mountain, having finally reached its base.

"So what now?" Sanji glanced up at the mountain as well, catching up to the Marine Captain a few moments ago.

"Are we just going to ignore Commander Zoro?" Smoker raised an eyebrow.

Sanji rolled his eyes, "He'll be fine, just let him be. More importantly, what do we do now?"

"I can change my lower body into smoke and propel myself up the mountain." Smoker grunted, tightening the ropes that bound Luffy.

"All the way?" Sanji glanced at Smoker incredulously.

Smoker stared up at the mountain again, narrowing his eyes, "I might need to make a few stops on the way up… But I should be able reach the top."

"What about me?" Sanji cried.

Smoker thought for a while, scratching his chin, "If I need to carry you as well… I might have some trouble..."

"So what should I do? Head back to the village?" Sanji frowned, looking back at the forest they just made it through.

"Here," Smoker handed the end of the rope.

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the rope, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Tie it around your waist, then hold on tight and don't let go," Smoker began stretching his legs.

Sanji raised an eyebrow but did as he was told, securing the rope tightly around his waist. That was also when he noticed the other end of the rope was secured to Smoker's waist as well.

"What are you planning?" Sanji frowned.

"Hold on tight!" Smoker grunted, crouching down before changing his lower body into smoke, spreading the smoke around himself.

"Wait... You're not going to, are you?" Sanji gripped the rope tightly.

Smoker didn't respond as the smoke suddenly converged back underneath his legs, exploding upwards and blasting Smoker and Sanji towards the sky.

"ARRGHHH! YOU BASTARD!" Sanji screamed, gripping on to the rope for dear life.

Smoker grunted from the effort of lifting two men into the sky, he glanced up at the mountain, frowning when he felt himself slowing down even before reaching a tenth of the way up.

He took out his jitte and stabbed it into the mountain, hanging on to it as Sanji dangled a few feet below him, still screaming.

He spread out his smoke again before pulling out his jitte and exploded himself upwards once more, ignoring the screams of Sanji below him.

"I SWEAR I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Sanji yelled, his face an unhealthy shade of blue.

"Suck it up, you wuss," Smoker grunted, stabbing his jitte into the mountain again, panting from the effort.

"Is there no other way to do this?! Something that doesn't involve my life hanging by a rope?!" Sanji shouted angrily.

Smoker frowned at him, "You got a better idea, genius?"

Sanji glanced down and gulped, gripping the rope tighter, "Er… No?"

"Then shut up you damn wuss," Smoker exploded himself up again, pulling a crying Sanji up behind him.

* * *

The Marines on the ship turned around when they heard the water explode up behind them, gasping when Wapol's ship appeared from underwater.

"Ahh! I forgot their ship could submerge!" Usopp clutched his head.

"Ready broadside cannons!" Tashigi shouted as the marines scrambled to obey.

"They're trying to land and make a run for it!" Nami shouted.

Gunshots already rang out across the shoreline, the villagers trying their best to keep Wapol from landing with little success.

"Fire starboard cannons!" Tashigi yelled.

The cannons on the right side of the ship fired at once, raining down a hail of cannonballs on Wapol's ship, exploding wood splinters in every direction.

"Commander Nami! Commander Usopp! Please go ashore to aid the villagers!" Tashigi shouted while directing the other marines to ready a second bombardment.

"Leave it to us!" Usopp thumped his chest, running towards one of the landing boats that was already being prepared for them.

"All cannons reloaded!" A marine officer shouted.

"Fire!"

The second wave of cannonballs smashed through Wapol's ship, the main mast cracking and tilting to one side. The pirate crew was doing their best to keep it afloat while trying to land on the island, ducking under the villagers' gunshots at the same time.

As the pirate ship finally landed, a third hail of cannonballs smashed through it, a cannonball exploding on the mast and toppling it. The soldiers on board the ship scrambled on to land frantically amidst the storm of bullets while some decided to jump ship into the icy cold waters below instead.

Nami and Usopp sat on the boat that were rowed by a few Marines towards the shore, running towards the villagers the instant the boat touched ground.

The battleship fired again, this time a cannonball exploded in the ship's powder stores, setting it ablaze in a shower of sparks. Soldiers were thrown off the ship by the explosion, most of them landing in the water while the rest found themselves on land with the villagers pointing their guns at them.

"Surrender! Drop your weapons!" Usopp shouted, finally reaching the pirates.

The soldiers held their rifles uneasily, staring fearfully at the lines of rifles aimed towards them.

"Drop it!" Dalton shouted, standing in front of the villagers, changing into his bison form intimidatingly.

The soldiers immediately dropped their guns and raised their hands in surrender.

"Looks like you still have room for improvement," Nami nudged Usopp.

Dalton hefted his spade shaped blade, advancing towards the soldiers and frowning when he realized Wapol was not among them.

"Where is Wapol?!" He demanded, the soldiers cowering in fear when he turned towards them.

"We… We landed on the other side… when we saw the Marine ship… We're supposed to act as a diversion while he… went to the castle…" A soldier stuttered fearlfully.

"Damn it!" Dalton cursed, stabbing his blade into the snow.

He glared towards the mountain with the castle at the top as Nami and Usopp approached.

"What's wrong?" Nami raised an eyebrow at the fuming Dalton.

Dalton shrunk himself back to his human form, fuming, "Wapol… He's already gone ahead towards the castle and we don't have a way to get up that mountain…"

"How is he going to get up there?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"He probably knows a way up that we don't. That was his castle after all..." Dalton furrowed his brows.

"What do we do then?" Usopp stared at the drum shaped mountains.

Dalton pulled his blade from the snow, sheathing it behind his back, "There's nothing we can do unless we find a way up…"

"Well, that doctor could come down from the mountain whenever she wants to, so there's bound to be a secret way up that only she knows about too," Nami crossed her arms.

Dalton sighed, "If that's true, she must have hidden it really well, we've never found a way up all this time."

"Where was she last seen before she disappeared back up the mountain again?" Nami glanced towards the villagers.

"If I remember correctly… She always seem to make her last stop at Gyasta village…" a bearded villager scratched his chin.

"Then we'll just start our search there!" Nami grinned.

"What about them?" Dalton jerked a thumb at the soldiers just as the Marine ship landed on the shore.

"Leave these pirates to us, you guys go on ahead!" Tashigi shouted from the ship, marines already pouring out to apprehend the soldiers.

Dalton nodded a thanks to her, turning back to the villagers, "Let's search around Gyasta, perhaps there's a way up from there."

The villagers yelled in triumph as they lead the way to Gyasta village, confident they could end the fear of Wapol's tyranny for good.

* * *

Smoker stabbed his jitte into the ground, collapsing in the snow, exhausted. A blue faced Sanji laid down in the snow beside him, gasping as he tried to forget his frightful journey up the mountain.

"You… Crazy bastard…" Sanji panted, throwing a fistful of snow at Smoker.

"Shut up, I got us up here, didn't I?" Smoker grunted, looking up at the castle that stood in front of him. "If you have any complaints, say it to the damn doctor who chose to stay up here."

Sanji pushed himself back on his feet, frowning at Smoker who still knelt on the ground, "So? You coming or not?"

Smoker got up on a knee unsteadily, "Shut it… It wasn't exactly a breeze for me to carry the two of you up here you know?"

"Eh? How did you two get here?" A green haired swordsman entered their vision casually.

The two of them stared at Zoro for a while, letting the silence stretch for a few seconds.

"WE SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT!" Both Smoker and Sanji yelled at him.

Zoro flinched back at their sudden outburst, "Woah, woah. I just walked here, that's all."

"You **WALKED** here?!" Sanji grasped Zoro's collar.

Zoro frowned and smacked his hand away, "Of course! After you left me behind, I had no choice but to keep walking around until I found you guys."

Smoker's jaw dropped at his declaration while Sanji face palmed.

"There's a limit to how lost you can get, you know?" Sanji wrung his hands in the air.

"I wasn't lost!" Zoro protested, huffing indignantly.

"Enough! I don't care how he got here, Luffy's our priority right now!" Smoker finally pushed himself on his feet.

The two Commanders ceased their argument immediately, accompanying Smoker as they approached the castle gates.

"Don't suppose we knock?" Sanji glanced at the huge wooden double doors leading inside the castle.

"Don't bother," Zoro pushed against the door, hefting it open for the other two to enter.

The three walked down the deserted corridors of the castle, their footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"What are you three doing here?"

A woman stepped out behind them, prompting all three of them to spin around and lower into their battle stance.

Zoro had his swords out and pointed towards the woman while Sanji stood protectively in front of Smoker, leg raised.

The woman looked old enough to be any of the present men's grandmother with pure white hair and deep wrinkles on her face. She wore a purple blazer over a short flower-print shirt that bared her navel to display her navel ring. A pair of hipster sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose while an equally hipster pair of pants stretched all the way down to her ankles.

"I don't suppose you gents are here to know about the secret to my youth?" The woman grinned, crossing her arms smugly.

"Who are you?" Zoro grunted, ignoring her question but not lowering his swords.

The woman huffed, "I should be the one to ask you that. This is my house you're barging into."

"So you're the doctor?" Sanji frowned, crossing his fingers and hoping the answer to be a no.

The woman seemed to brighten at the question, "Oh? So you're patients? Why didn't you say so sooner? I'm doctor Kureha, at your service." Kureha did an exaggerated bow towards the three Marines. "Now what do the Marines want with me?"

Smoker and Sanji relaxed but Zoro didn't seem convinced yet, "How do we know you're the real doctor?"

"Not a trusting one eh?" Kureha raised an eyebrow.

Zoro said nothing as he gripped his swords tighter, watching the woman carefully.

Kureha shrugged, "It doesn't matter whether you trust me or not, you're free to roam around here until you find another doctor, although…" She pointed towards the panting Luffy, "if you want your friend there to live, you'd better let a doctor see him right now."

"Commander Zoro, stand down," Smoker grunted, stepping up towards Kureha.

Zoro frowned as he lowered his swords, still refusing to sheathe them.

"Our friend is sick, our own doctor couldn't even get a diagnosis on what's wrong with him," Smoker glanced towards Luffy, who was still unconscious.

Kureha poked a finger at his forehead, "Heh… Forty-three degrees, this is pretty serious… Follow me to the infirmary."

Kureha walked past the men without a second glance back, humming a tune as she walked down the corridor.

The three Marines glanced at each other before finally running to catch up with the doctor.

Kureha lead them out into the castle's main hall that was entirely covered in snow, drawing shivers from the men.

"Why is the whole place covered in snow?" Sanji frowned, following the doctor up the stairs.

"You'd think the hag would actually do some proper cleaning or something…" Zoro shivered.

A flash of metal flew towards Zoro who jerked his head away at the last second, avoiding the flying knife that was tossed at him.

"What the hell was that for?!" Zoro yelled at Kureha.

The doctor snorted, seemingly disappointed Zoro had dodged the knife, "Don't call me a hag, I'm only a hundred and thirty-nine years old."

' _Holy crap she's old…_ '

The three men thought at the same time.

Kureha held open a door at the second floor of the castle, gesturing the three men inside the infirmary.

Smoker untied Luffy and lowered him into the only bed in the room, turning back to regard the self-professed doctor.

Kureha ignored them while she turned peeked her head into one of the side rooms, "Chopper! We got a patient!"

She turned back to the three men, frowning at them as though she was insulted by their presence, "What are you still doing here? Get out! Leave this to the professionals!"

"How are we sure you won't hurt him?" Zoro crossed his arms.

"A true doctor never harms their patient, and I **am** a doctor," Kureha frowned.

Smoker raised an arm to stop Zoro before he could protest again, "We'd like to make sure of it with our own eyes, if you don't mind."

Kureha sighed before pointing to the far corner of the room, "Stay there and don't make a sound, if you disturb me, I'll throw you all out."

The three men trudged to the corner indicated just as a small reindeer walked out from the side room.

"Is that… a reindeer walking on two legs?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like a tanuki to me…" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"It's a reindeer that ate a devil fruit, isn't it?" Smoker glanced at Kureha.

The reindeer frowned towards the three men, while Kureha just chuckled, "His name is Chopper, he ate the hito hito fruit and became half human and half reindeer."

"Doctor Kureha, are they all patients?" Chopper pointed towards the men.

"It talks?!" Sanji gasped.

"I told you all to shut up didn't I?!" Kureha yelled, throwing a few knives at them that stuck into the wall behind them.

"What a scary doctor…" Smoker frowned.

Kureha jerked her thumb towards Luffy, "That's the patient, Chopper, diagnose him."

The reindeer climbed onto the bed, proceeding to check on Luffy with the precision of a professional doctor. The three men watched silently as Kureha watched over the small doctor, judging his work.

"So what's wrong with him?" Kureha said after a while of tense silence.

"He's been bitten by a Kestia," Chopper pointed towards the bite mark on Luffy.

Kureha grinned proudly, "Correct, now what should be the proper procedure?"

"Cleaning of the wound, injection of the anti-venom, then antibiotics." Chopper rattled off.

"Very good, now hop to it," Kureha nodded as the reindeer scurried off to get the necessary equipment.

"You're letting the reindeer tend to him?" Zoro stared wide eyed at the doctor.

Kureha huffed indignantly, "He's a qualified doctor, I trained him myself after all!"

"A reindeer doctor… And I thought I've already seen everything…" Smoker scratched his chin.

Chopper returned carrying a basket full of medical equipment to the bed, hopping back up on the bed.

Just before Chopper could get to work, an explosion sounded from outside the castle, stunning everyone in the room.

"What's going on?" Sanji looked towards Kureha.

She held her hands up, "Don't look at me, I wasn't cooking anything."

"Tch, we'll go check it out." Smoker gripped his jitte and made a beeline towards the door.

"What about Luffy?" Zoro frowned, not willing to leave his Commodore alone with the two strange people.

"He'll be fine, there's nothing we can do here anyway." Smoker pulled Zoro out the door after Sanji before he could protest again, slamming the door shut behind him.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the wooden door before sprinting down the stairs after the other two Marines, making their way back to the entrance of the castle.

Exiting the castle, they're met with an angry Wapol and two strange looking men accompanying him. One was the man wearing the jester outfit while the other had a look that resembled a boxer that was obsessed with afros.

He had an afro hair and a beard that had three small afros along the corners of his chin. He wore a long orange shirt covered by an orange cloak that had afros hanging at each hand. Two boxing gloves that resembled afros also covered his hand, hiding all of his fingers except for his thumbs.

The smoldering remains of a flag could be seen on the ground, apparently blown from the top of the castle.

"You! You're the Marines from before! What are you doing in my castle?!" Wapol pointed an accusing finger at the three men.

"What do you mean your castle, pirate?" Smoker frowned, popping two cigars in his mouth.

"Be careful of your words, marine! You are speaking to Wapol, king of Drum kingdom!" The jester man shook his fist at Smoker.

"King? I could've sworn that you guys were pirates, you attacked us at sea too," Sanji narrowed his eyes, similarly popping a cigarette in his mouth.

The boxer crossed his arms, "That was when our kingdom was invaded. We had to resort to piracy when we escaped from this country."

Zoro smirked, "So you guys chose your lives over your country, such cowards."

"SILENCE! I have returned to this country and while I'm here, I am the king!" Wapol glared at Zoro.

Smoker pointed his jitte towards Wapol, "You are no king here. The moment you chose to wave the flag of a pirate, you have chosen the life of piracy and forsaken your title as king. No matter the reason for your actions, we Marines will no longer recognize you as a legitimate king any longer."

"How dare you! Chess! Kuromarimo! Get rid of these Marines!" Wapol pointed a finger at the three men.

The jester drew his bow and shot three arrows towards the Marines, each arrow heading for a different Marine.

Sanji leaned back and kicked the arrow aside while Zoro unsheathed his swords and sliced the arrow cleanly in half. Smoker on the other hand, just dissipated his body into smoke and let the arrow pass through him.

"He's a Devil Fruit user!" The jester named Chess gasped.

"A Logia class too!" The boxer, Kuromarimo, panicked.

Smoker hefted his jitte on his shoulder, "Just give up pirates, you guys don't stand a chance."

"Heh, you might be Logia class, but my Baku Baku fruit won't lose to yours either," Wapol smirked, rubbing his hands together.

Smoker raised an eyebrow, "Baku Baku fruit?"

"Maaahahaha! I can munch on anything, even you! As long as I can get you in my mouth, Logia or not, I can munch you to death!" Wapol laughed.

The three Marines stared at Wapol incredulously.

"You have no idea how stupid that sounds…" Zoro sighed.

"Is that even possible?" Sanji crossed his arms.

Smoker frowned, "As stupid as that might sound, no one can be too sure when it comes to Devil Fruits… Even I'm not sure what will happen if he does get his mouth on me."

The three pirates lowered into their fighting stances again, prompting the three Marines to do the same.

"Well, there's three of them," Zoro nodded towards them.

"And there's three of us," Sanji finished.

"One for one then, I'll take Wapol," Smoker bit down on his cigar, swinging his jitte in an arc.

"The bow guy," Zoro secured his bandana on his head.

"The afro dude then," Sanji puffed on his cigarette.

The three Marines charged at their targets.

* * *

The sounds of battle reverberated throughout the castle.

"What's going on outside?" Chopper frowned, wiping the sweat off Luffy's brow.

"Don't get distracted, Chopper. Remember he's your patient," Kureha admonished.

Despite saying that, she looked towards the door leading out to the main hall, pursing her lips as another explosion rocked the castle.

"Stay with him, Chopper, I'll go out and check," Kureha walked out the room without waiting for a reply, closing the door behind her.

Chopper watched her leave before turning his attention back to Luffy, checking his temperature again.

"He's recovering quite fast… This is unusual… Even with doctor Kureha's prescription, he should take another three days to fully recover…" Chopper frowned at the thermometer.

In just a few minutes, Luffy's fever had already gone down to normal, surprising both Chopper and Kureha. The bite wound had healed as well, not even leaving a scar, as though he had never been bitten from the start.

Unknown to them, after the hellish training Luffy had survived in the Marines, his body had adapted to heal ridiculously fast from external injuries to the point of being superhuman. Especially with Garp pushing the boy to his limits and further beyond, Luffy had little other choice. The only thing he lacked now was a strong resistance to poison. Now if this boy adapted to that, he could then truly be regarded as a real monster.

Chopper left the room to change the pail of water, ignoring the sounds of battle outside. As he returned to the bed, Luffy sat up without warning, scaring the reindeer into dropping the pail and spilling its contents all over the floor.

As Chopper scrambled away from Luffy, he slipped on the water and fell on his face, crying out in agony. He glanced over his shoulders to see Luffy staring at him with curiosity before frantically running into the side room, trying to hide behind the door frame.

"You know you're hiding at the wrong side, right?" Luffy pointed out at the reindeer who had his whole body exposed and only hiding a part of his head behind the door frame.

Chopper gasped in shock before moving to hide correctly.

"Where am I?" Luffy looked around the room for the first time.

"Hey… Hey! Are you feeling better?" Chopper asked while hiding behind the door frame.

Luffy snapped his head at the reindeer, "You can talk?!"

Chopper hesitated before nodding his head. He didn't mind the presence of the other three humans because doctor Kureha was there with him, now he felt apprehensive being alone with the Marine.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy had sparkles in his eyes.

Chopper was stunned for a while, not expecting that specific reaction.

"Hey, so what's your name?" Luffy sat at the edge of the bed, the sparkles not leaving his eyes.

"To… Tony Tony Chopper," the reindeer replied hesitatingly.

"Shishishi, nice to meet you! I'm Commodore Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines!" Luffy grinned.

"You're... You're a Marine?" Chopper ducked his head a little more behind the door frame.

"Yeah! I catch bad guys and bring them to Justice!" Luffy grinned.

Chopper frowned, "Like... Like pirates?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow, "Not all pirates are bad. I only catch bad guys, are you a pirate?"

Chopper shook his head quickly.

"Oh? But you had plans to be one?"

Chopper shook his head again, "I met a pirate before..."

"Was he nice?" Luffy propped his head up on his hands.

"He took care of me when no one else wanted to..." Chopper gripped the door frame tightly.

"So he's a good guy then!" Luffy laughed.

Chopper came out from his hiding spot, "You're… You're not scared of me?"

"Of course not, why should I?" Luffy tilted his head, genuinely confused.

"Be… Because I'm a reindeer that walks on two legs… And talks..." Chopper twiddled his fingers.

"So?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you get it? I'm a monster!" Chopper frowned.

"Shishishi, you don't look like a monster to me!" Luffy grinned.

Chopper felt a smile creep across his face, before finally noticing that Luffy was sitting up on the bed.

"Ah! Wait! You shouldn't be sitting up! You're still not fully recovered yet!" Chopper rushed towards Luffy, trying to get him to lie down again.

"I feel fine now!" Luffy protested, but Chopper managed to push him back down on the bed.

"No! You still need to rest! The bacteria is still in your body!"

"How do you know?" Luffy frowned.

"I'm a doctor! Of course I would know!"

Luffy widened his eyes, "So you're a doctor too? That's even more awesome!"

Chopper couldn't help but smile brightly at that, "Shu… Shut up, you bastard! I won't be happy even if you compliment me like that!"

"Shishishishi! You're so funny! Hey, do you want to become a Marine?" Luffy chuckled.

"A… A Marine? Me?" Chopper gasped.

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Luffy grinned at him, sitting up on the bed again, this time Chopper made no move to stop him.

Chopper frowned, drooping his head, "But… But I'm not… human…"

Luffy waved his hand, "Oh, we're not that picky. As long as you uphold Justice, you're welcome to join my crew!"

"Justice?" Chopper widened his eyes.

"Yeah! There are things you want to protect, right?" Luffy propped up his head with his hands.

Chopper thought about his first mentor, doctor Hiluluk and how he had protected him from the other humans who thought of him as a monster. Then of Dalton who had defended him from Wapol when Hiluluk gave his life trying to protect the country.

He glanced down at his hands, he couldn't even protect Hiluluk, what gave him the right to protect anything else?

Chopper felt a hand on his shoulder just as the first tears began to fall. He looked up to see Luffy's serious eyes, the cheerfulness from before gone.

"So you've lost things…" Luffy said simply.

Chopper understood that it wasn't a question, but still nodded his head regardless.

"I've lost things too, things that I had wanted to protect but couldn't because I wasn't strong enough." Luffy looked down at his other hand.

Chopper watched silently as Luffy clenched his other hand tightly.

"Because I wasn't strong enough… I lost things that I treasured." Luffy glanced up at Chopper again, seeing the reindeer stare back at him with concern.

Luffy let a grin creep into his face, "That's why I chose to join the Marines! I got stronger to protect what I treasured while helping others who weren't strong enough to protect theirs too!"

"Wow…" Chopper stared at the Marine with admiration. "Do you… Do you think I can become a Marine too?"

"Of course you can! I invited you didn't I?" Luffy grinned, he propped his head up with his hands. "You have a dream, don't you?"

Chopper brightened, "Yeah! I want to be the best doctor in the world and find a cure for all kinds of diseases!"

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.

Chopper started dancing happily, a bright smile plastered on his face, "Praising me won't make me happy you know? You bastard!"

That was precisely the time another explosion rocked the castle.

"What the… What's going on?" Luffy frowned.

"Ah! I almost forgot! There's people fighting outside! You stay here! I'm going out to check!" Chopper ran outside the room, leaving Luffy alone.

* * *

The three Marines charged at the pirates, spreading themselves out towards their individual targets.

Chess pulled back his bow and shot a hail of arrows towards Zoro.

Zoro tightened his grip on his swords and slashed out at the arrows, cutting them down before they could reach him, not slowing down his charge towards Chess.

Kuromarimo had thrown a couple of afro shaped projectiles at Sanji who had tried to kick them away, only to find out those projectiles stuck to him like glue.

Cursing at his own bad luck, he didn't have time to pry the balls off as he did his best to dodge another hail of afros coming towards him.

Smoker on the other hand propelled himself in a cloud of smoke towards Wapol, pulling ahead of the other two Marines with his jitte held at his side.

Wapol himself had transformed his hands into cannons, pointing them at Smoker while laughing that his power allows him to assimilate anything he eats.

Smoker only rolled his eyes at the revelation as he let the cannonballs that Wapol fired pass through him, exploding harmlessly behind him.

Just as Smoker was about to reach him, Wapol opened his mouth wide, attempting to swallow Smoker.

"You think I'd actually fall for that?" Smoker frowned.

He swung his jitte in an arc and smashed it against the side of Wapol's head, sending him sprawling on to the snow.

"Your Majesty!" Both Chess and Kuromarimo cried out.

"You sure you should be looking somewhere else?" Zoro smirked, leaping towards Chess.

Chess lifted his bow and barely deflected the blow away, grunting from the effort.

"You dirty Marine!" Chess frowned, pulling back his bow and releasing another hail of arrows.

Zoro leapt back from him to avoid the arrows before lunging towards Chess again, the latter leaping aside to avoid the stab.

Zoro had anticipated the move however, stabbing his sword in the ground as a pivot before spinning himself to kick at Chess, sending him crashing beside Wapol.

"Chess!" Kuromarimo cried, attempting to go to his aid.

"Didn't you hear him? You should be focusing on me!" Sanji kicked towards Kuromarimo's head.

Kuromarimo cursed as he lifted his arm to block the kick, stumbling back from Sanji.

Sanji spun on a foot and kicked towards him again, hitting him straight in the chest and sending him flying towards Wapol.

"You guys aren't much after all," Zoro smirked.

"Don't you dare underestimate us!" Wapol yelled, pushing himself up from the snow.

"Your Majesty! Let's show them our real power!" Kuromarimo gritted his teeth.

"Indeed! Let us crush these infidels!" Chess furrowed his brows at the Marines.

"Real power?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

Zoro swung his sword at them, "Bring it, we'll still crush you all the same."

Wapol smirked wickedly, "Now bear witness, the power of my Baku Baku fruit!"

He then proceeded to swallow both Chess and Kuromarimo in a single gulp.

"He's eating his own men?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe he's just hungry," Sanji suggested, puffing on his cigarette.

"Be alert, anything can happen when you're fighting Devil Fruit users," Smoker frowned at Wapol.

"Behold! The strongest fighter in all of Drum Kingdom! Chessmarimo! **Baku Baku Factory!** " Wapol yelled, spitting out a large figure from his mouth.

The figure got up to his feet, revealing a man with four arms and a wide body with two heads with one on top of the other, the top head being Kuromarimo while the bottom head being Chess.

"Aren't you just standing on his shoulder?!" Sanji yelled incredulously.

"What idiots…" Zoro sighed.

Chessmarimo stood in front of their king, "Let us take care of them for you, your Majesty."

"So now that they combined, who's supposed to take care of him?" Sanji glanced at Zoro.

"You're not suggesting on working together again, are you?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

Sanji tossed his cigarette aside, "What? Not up to it? You shitty swordsman?"

"Shut it ero-cook, I can take him down faster than you," Zoro grinned.

Sanji smirked, "I'll take that as a challenge, let's do this!"

The two of them charged towards Chessmarimo.

"It seems we're being underestimated," Chessmarimo huffed, pulling out two bows from under his cloak.

Drawing back the two bows with each pair of hands, he aimed the bow at each Marine.

" **Yukidoke no Ya Marimo!** "

He released the bow and fired two afro tipped arrows towards them, the afros suddenly bursting into flames mid-flight.

"Heh, you think some fire arrows can stop us?" Sanji smirked, sliding across the ground to avoid it while Zoro just smacked it away with his sword.

Chessmarimo tossed his bows away and drew out four axes in each hand, slashing all for axes in an X shape.

" **Yukiwariso!** "

The slash sent out an X shaped shockwave towards the two, cutting along the snow.

"Get behind me, ero-cook!" Zoro leapt out in front of Sanji, raising his swords to deflect the shockwave away to smash against the castle.

That was when they noticed Kureha standing near the castle gates, watching them.

"Oh don't mind me, I'm just watching the show," Kureha waved her hand nonchalantly.

"You witch! What are you doing in my castle?!" Wapol demanded, shaking an angry fist at her.

"Your castle?" Kureha raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you already abandoned this place to pirates? This is Hiluluk's tomb now, you have no place here."

"You damn witch!" Wapol shot a cannonball towards her just as Chopper emerged from the castle gates, pulling her away from the cannonball's path.

"Chopper? What are you doing here?! What about the patient?" Kureha demanded, not even caring she narrowly escaped from death.

"He… He's well enough now… His fever's already gone too…" Chopper lowered his head.

Kureha smacked him on the head, "Even so, he's still sick! A patient is a doctor's priority! Everything else comes after! What if he's dying when you weren't there?!"

"What if who's dying?" A voice called out behind her.

Both doctors turned their head to see Luffy standing behind them casually.

"You! You should be in bed!" Both doctors yelled out in unison.

"Shishishi, I'm fine now, really!" Luffy laughed.

Kureha kicked towards Luffy, "You're only fine when the doctor says so!"

Luffy raised an arm to block the oncoming blow, the grin not leaving his face, "Oh? So you're a doctor too, lady?"

"Tch," Kureha lowered her leg. "What's your name, boy?"

"Commodore Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!" Luffy grinned.

"D? Another carrier of the will I see," Kureha turned back towards the fight, losing interest in him.

"Luffy! You should still be in bed!" Chopper tried to shoo him back but Kureha held out a hand to stop him.

"It's no use Chopper, people like him are the most stubborn in the world. You might as well just watch over him from here."

"Eh? But…" Chopper hesitated.

"No buts, besides, the Marines in front of you are fighting to protect our country for us now. You'd do well to watch," Kureha grinned, watching Sanji kick away an axe that was headed towards Zoro.

"This guy is so annoying…" Sanji frowned, kicking towards Chessmarimo's abdomen only to have an axe block the kick.

Zoro slashed out his swords to deflect an axe strike while leaping back to avoid another one from his other hand.

"We'll have to strike together," Sanji grunted, leaping back beside Zoro.

"Never thought I'd hear it from you," Zoro smirked, swinging his swords behind him.

Both men leaped towards Chessmarimo at the same time.

"Futile!" The pirate yelled, bringing all four axes down on the two men.

Both men spun in the air, letting the axes swing past them, their eyes glaring at Chessmarimo.

" **Collier Oni Giri Shoot!** "

Zoro slashed out his swords towards Chessmarimo's chest while Sanji kicked towards his neck, flinging him away to smash into the snow, unmoving.

"You damn Marines!" Wapol yelled, fury in his voice.

He pointed his cannons towards the two men but Smoker appeared at his side in a cloud of smoke before he could fire.

"Don't look down on us Marines!" Smoker swung his jitte at the side of Wapol's face, smacking him into the snow.

"Yeah! Go Smokey!" Luffy cheered from the side.

Wapol pushed himself up from the snow, cursing under his breath.

"Surrender, you damn pirate," Smoker lowered his jitte to point at Wapol.

"You wish!" Wapol lunged at Smoker, his mouth wide open to bite him.

Smoker dissipated himself into smoke, pulling away from Wapol.

"Too slow!" Wapol munched down on a cloud of smoke, pulling his head back.

Smoker furrowed his brows as he realized he couldn't disperse the smoke that was in Wapol's mouth, feeling himself dragged towards Wapol. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if Wapol chose to swallow that smoke.

He stabbed his jitte into Wapol's abdomen, forcing the air out of his lungs and spitting out the smoke in his mouth.

He reformed himself a few feet in front of Wapol, hefting his jitte on his shoulders.

Wapol gasped in pain as he clutched at his stomach, "You! That thing's tipped with Seastone!"

"Seastone?" Both Zoro and Sanji tilted their heads.

"It's a material that gives off the same wavelength as the sea. Any Devil Fruit user that comes into contact with it would be drained of their strength while disabling their control over their abilities. That's why Devil Fruit users cannot swim." Smoker explained.

"You look fine though?" Zoro pointed out.

Smoker grinned, "Only the tip is Seastone, so I'm fine with touching the rest of my jitte."

"Don't get so full of yourself!" Wapol lunged towards Smoker, munching at him.

Smoker stuck his jitte out and stabbed towards his chin, pushing him back and slamming him down on the floor.

Before Smoker could ask him to surrender again, Wapol mustered all of his strength and pushed the jitte aside, opening his mouth wide and biting down on Smoker's upper body.

"SMOKEY!" Luffy yelled, leaping towards Wapol with blinding speed.

Wapol widened his eyes as he saw the youth literally flying towards him, fists clenched in front of him.

" **Tekkai Sai!** "

Luffy smashed his hardened body into Wapol's abdomen, forcing Smoker out of his mouth while flinging him off the mountain.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE MOVING AROUND!" Chopper yelled at Luffy while Kureha just laughed beside him.

Smoker dusted his clothes as he pushed himself off the ground, "Damn his mouth stinks… Thanks Luffy."

"Shishishi, don't mention it!" Luffy grinned, hands on his hips.

"Did you have to fling him off the mountain?" Smoker narrowed his eyes towards the direction Wapol flew off to.

Luffy just shrugged, "He probably deserved it."

"Luffy!" A voice called out from the side.

Everyone turned to see Nami running towards him with Usopp, Dalton and a group of villagers in tow.

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy waved enthusiastically.

"Nami-swaaan!" Sanji pirouetted towards Nami, attempting to hug her.

Nami just leapt over him, letting him smash his face into the snow as she rushed forward to grasp Luffy by the shoulders.

"Are you cured now?! Your fever's gone! Are you sure you should be walking around? Where's the doctor?" Nami fretted over him, ignoring Sanji who was now crying in the snow.

"I'm fine now Nami, I even got us a doctor!" Luffy gestured towards Chopper who was currently running towards them.

"Luffy! I already told you! You shouldn't even be moving around yet!" Chopper smacked a hoof against Luffy's leg.

"Shishishi! Sorry, sorry!" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

Nami crouched down to look at Chopper, "A talking reindeer? Is he our doctor, Luffy?"

Chopper hid on the wrong side behind Luffy's legs, frowning at Nami.

"Chopper, this is Nami, our navigator!" Luffy gestured with a hand.

"Hi, Chopper," Nami smiled sweetly in an attempt to get the reindeer to come out of hiding.

"You… You're not scared of me?" Chopper tightened his grip of Luffy's leg.

"Of course not! You look cute!" Nami chuckled.

"I'm not cute! I'm a man!" Chopper protested, standing in front of her.

"Yes, yes, you're a really cute reindeer man. So are you joining our crew?"

Chopper frowned at the question, glancing up towards Luffy who had a big grin on his face.

"I… I don't know yet…" Chopper hesitated, turning his head to look at the other doctor who stood still at the castle gates.

"How did you guys get up here anyway?" Smoker scratched his chin, stepping beside Luffy.

Nami clapped her hands, "Oh! We took the lift!"

"THERE'S A LIFT?!" The three men that had scaled up the mountain widened their eyes.

Nami pointed towards where Usopp was standing with the villagers, helping them to get off a machine that was attached to a rope they had not noticed before.

"Yep, the villagers found it in a nearby village, so we used it to get up here!"

Sanji collapsed on to the snow in tears while Zoro scratched his head, commenting on how he remembered walking on a piece of rope some time ago.

Smoker just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Oh! Before I forget, Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi told me to pass this to you, Captain Smoker," Nami dug through her jacket and handed him a den den mushi. "She said to contact her as soon as you can."

"Thanks," Smoker grunted, picking up the receiver to dial a number.

In the meantime, Kureha had approached the Marines, a grin plastered on her face, "So Wapol is gone for good now eh? Good riddance."

"Doctor Kureha… I have decided…" Chopper began but Kureha cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Save it for later Chopper," Kureha nodded towards Smoker.

"Tashigi, what's your status?"

"Captain Smoker! We have successfully captured all the pirates that had escaped us the last time. We managed to put out the fire on their ship, but it won't be setting sail anytime soon."

"Good work, anything else?"

"There's a group of people dressed in overalls that are claiming to be doctors held against their will on Wapol's ship, what should we do with them?"

"That should be the Isshi-20, the doctors Wapol forced to work under him," Kureha cut in. "They're clean."

Smoker nodded, "Let them go, Tashigi."

"Understood."

"Ah! Secure all the treasures on the ship too!" Nami shouted out.

Smoker sighed, "You heard her, Tashigi."

"Aye, Captain."

Smoker hung up the call, shoving the den den mushi back into his jacket, staring at the villagers.

"I'll go help them out, they seem like they need it," Smoker grunted.

"We'll go help too!" Sanji and Zoro sprinted towards the villagers, wanting to see the lift for themselves.

"With that out of the way, I'd like my payment for treating the Marine over there. That would be all the money you currently possess on your ship, thank you very much." Kureha crossed her arms.

Nami stared at her with wide eyes, "NO WAY!"

"Heh, considering I just saved him from the brink of death, I'd say I'm already being generous." Kureha smirked.

"That's just extortion!" Nami yelled at her.

Kureha frowned, "Say what you want little girl, fact remains I did save his life and I'm not getting paid for it."

Kureha looked towards the horizon where Wapol was sent flying to, "On another note, I needed the armory key Wapol had on him… I don't suppose I'll get my hands on it again…"

"Oh, you mean this key?" Nami flashed a key at her.

Kureha widened her eyes, "That's it! How did you get it?"

"Well, I swiped it off him when he first came to our ship, I thought it was a key to a treasure room or something," Nami smirked, twirling the key on her finger.

"Give it here girl, I have more need of it than you do," Kureha stuck a hand out towards her.

Nami stuck her tongue out at her, keeping the key from her grasps, "If you want it, then you'll have to agree it's a good enough payment for my Commodore's treatment."

Kureha let a grin cross her face, "Heh, a naughty one eh? Fine then, I'll take it as the payment, happy, pappy?"

Nami smacked the key in Kureha's palm, shaking on it before releasing her hand, "I'm the treasurer of the group after all, I need to take care of the funds."

Kureha laughed, "And the people call me a witch! You're way more craftier than I am, little girl!"

Luffy sat in the snow, his exhaustion finally catching up to him.

Chopper frowned, "You see? I told you, you shouldn't be walking around!"

"Shishishi, I'll be fine, so are you gonna be a Marine, Chopper?" Luffy grinned.

Chopper looked up at Kureha, who raised an eyebrow at him, "Didn't you want to be a pirate, Chopper?"

The reindeer shook his head, "I just wanted to be able to help cure people of their diseases. If being a Marine helps me to do that, I would become one."

"Heh, would they accept a monster like you?" Kureha crossed her arms.

Chopper glanced up at Luffy before turning back to Kureha, "I have already chosen to uphold Justice and to protect what I can. I won't let anyone else die because of my lack of medical skills any longer!"

"Heeheehee, you've grown, Chopper." Kureha turned back towards the castle, waving back at him. "I won't say much, just come back and visit sometimes."

Chopper let his tears flow as he watched his mentor leave, shouting at a group of villagers to help her move some things out from the castle.

"Watch the skies when you leave, Chopper!" Kureha shouted over her shoulders.

* * *

"You're princess Vivi aren't you?" Dalton nodded at Vivi.

The Marines were preparing to push off from the river mouth after leaving the captured soldiers in the villagers' hands. The treasures from Wapol's ship had also been moved to the Straw Hat's ship under Nami's watchful eye, daring any of them to steal from 'her' treasure.

"How do you know?" Vivi gasped.

Dalton smiled, "I met you when you went to the Reverie as a child, when Wapol was especially rude to you."

"Ah, that's right! You were one of his head of staff!" Vivi widened her eyes, remembering the man who had apologized to her on Wapol's behalf when the king had slapped her in anger. "So you remained behind to protect the country after Wapol escaped?"

Dalton nodded, "I'm glad to see you're safe, but what are you doing among Marines?"

Vivi frowned at that, "My country's been thrown into civil war because of the actions from a pirate Warlord. I had to infiltrate his organization to uncover his identity to the Marines."

Dalton widened his eyes, "I knew you were strong, but not this strong…"

For the princess of a kingdom to willingly endanger herself for the sake of her people, it was more than what even he could do.

"I apologize that I cannot help you with your country, but you have my gratitude for helping save mine." Dalton bowed towards her.

"Be a better king than Wapol, Dalton." Vivi smiled.

"A king? Me? I doubt the people of this country would accept a former member of Wapol's staff as their king..." Dalton sighed.

Vivi placed a hand on his shoulder, "You don't know that, I've seen how the people of this country act around you, you're not as hated as you think you are."

"You think I'll be better than Wapol?"

Vivi nodded sagely, "I believe you will. I look forward to see you at the next Reverie!"

"I will, and thank you," Dalton bowed again.

* * *

As the ships pulled away under the cheering of the villagers that came to see them off, the shots of cannon fire could be heard from the mountains.

"What's going on? Another attack?" Sanji frowned, looking towards the castle.

"Hey Chopper! The lady told you to watch the skies, didn't she?" Luffy grinned at the reindeer who hid behind the mast.

He walked to Luffy's side just as the snow that fell from the sky turned pink.

"It's beautiful!" Nami gasped, looking up at the snow in wonder.

Chopper began to cry, letting his tears flow unashamed as he watched the pink snow fall on to the deck.

It held no meaning for everyone else on board, but to Chopper, it meant a world of difference.

"I WON'T DISAPPOINT YOU! DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled at the sky. The others could only wonder which doctor he was referring to.

"I'LL BE THE BEST DOCTOR EVER!"

* * *

On a Marine battleship headed towards Alabasta, a Marine Captain sighed as she watched two marines competing to see who had taken out more enemies on the pirate ship they had boarded.

She looked down at the eternal pose, making sure they were still on the right track before sighing again.

The 2 marines strutted towards her, flowers hidden behind their backs while arguing whose flowers the Captain was going to accept. One of them wore heart shaped sunglasses while the other had iron bracers on both his fists.

They knelt on the floor in front of them, thrusting their arms out at her, "Captain Hina! Please accept these flowers as a token of our love!"

"I don't want it! Now hurry up and set a course to Alabasta! If anything happens to Commodore Luffy before we get there, I'll have your heads!" Hina shouted at them.

"Yes, Captain Hina!" the two Marines saluted in unison, scrambling to obey.

Hina stared down at the Vivre card, breathing a sigh of relief. Before, the card had been burnt to the size of a nail but it had now returned back to its normal size of about half her palm.

"You better take good care of him, Smoker…" Hina tucked the Vivre card inside her blouse.


	17. Chapter 17: On The Other Side

_A/N: Took a while for this chapter since I went back to edit all the other chapters. :P_

 _Numbers will be spelled out from now on unless it is part of a name of some sort. I admit I actually wanted to do this for quite a while since I thought putting numerals in would kind of break up the story but I just never got round to it:P_

 _Well, what can I say, I place you guys first after all :D_

 _Enjoy :)_

* * *

"So you ate the Hito Hito fruit and became a half human?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Yep, I can transform between a reindeer, human and half form which I am right now." Chopper nodded while grinding some herbs on a grindstone.

"EHHH? You can transform?!" Luffy yelled with sparkles in his eyes.

The three of them were in the men's room with Luffy tied down to the bed. Chopper had insisted he stayed in bed for at least another two days even though he didn't have a fever anymore.

Luffy had strongly protested against it and it took the combined efforts of the whole crew, Smoker, every other Marine on the battleship and probably three or four tranquilizer shots before they managed to get him to lie down.

Nami was the one who suggested on tying him down too, though Luffy had easily broken through the ropes the first time.

Sanji then threatened him that he will never feed him again if he didn't listen to what Chopper said and that finally made the stubborn Commodore silent, though they decided to tie him up again for the trouble he caused.

"My Devil Fruit is a Zoan type. All Zoan Devil Fruit users are able to transform…" Chopper tilted his head at him, as though already expecting him to know.

"So cool!" Luffy yelled.

"Praising me won't make me happy you jackass!" Chopper yelled, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Hey! So can we see your transformations?" Luffy tried to turn as best as he could against the restraints.

"Well… If you insist… I suppose I-"

The door to the room was flung open without warning as Nami barged into the room.

"Hey guys! Lunch is served!"

"Yay! Food!" Chopper and Usopp rushed out of the room.

Luffy pushed himself upright from the bed, snapping the ropes like they weren't even there.

"STAY!" Nami pointed a finger menacingly at him.

"But… But I'm hungry!" Luffy protested.

Nami sighed, shaking her head, "I'll bring you food, just don't get out of bed."

She closed the door behind her without waiting for a reply.

Luffy pouted while he swung his legs to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs back and forth against the bed. He let his eyes wander around the now empty room, his Marine cloak hanging on the stand next to the bed.

He stayed sitting up until Nami returned with two plates of food in her hands. She handed a plate to Luffy, while sitting herself beside Luffy.

"This isn't enough for me…" Luffy pointed down at his food with a frown.

Nami smirked at him, "Doctor's orders, you can't eat too much right now, so you'll just have to deal with it."

Luffy let out a pout as he dug into his food ravenously, "Stingy…"

Nami poked his cheek, "Eat slowly."

Luffy relented and slowed down his chewing, watching Nami eat her own food.

"You seem awfully happy?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Hehe, you noticed? I counted our total savings just now," Nami rubbed her thumb and index finger together, grinning wickedly.

"Really? How much do we have?"

"One hundred million and a little over," Nami squealed happily. "I can't believe we got so much in such a short time! And to think it took me eight years the last time!"

"Shishishi, so how much food can we buy with a hundred million?" Luffy grinned.

Nami sighed though a smile still plastered on her face, "Can't you think about something else to buy other than food?"

"How about more food?" Luffy laughed.

Nami giggled alongside him.

"So how are you feeling now? Chopper did say you might feel lethargic from recovering." Nami glanced at Luffy carefully.

Luffy puffed his chest, "I already told you guys, I'm fine! I don't need to stay in bed anymore! How can I rest when everyone else is working?"

Nami pinched his cheek, "I told you, just focus on recovering. Besides, I don't see Captain Smoker working his ass off either. If you ask me, he seems pretty relaxed on that lounge chair of his!"

"Well… He does have a bigger crew after all," Luffy rubbed the cheek Nami pinched. "And he **is** going out of his way to escort us to Alabasta after all."

Nami took the empty plate from Luffy, "Well, I don't care about that, you just stay in bed until Chopper says otherwise."

Nami walked to the door, turning to point an accusing finger at him, "I mean it. If I see you out of bed before our doctor gives the ok, you won't be eating any of my tangerines any time soon."

Luffy raised his hands in surrender, "I'll be good."

Nami left the room again, leaving Luffy alone with his thoughts.

Luffy frowned as the door shut behind Nami.

'I'm still weak…'

He looked down and clenched his fists, he didn't let the others know but he felt especially frustrated when he was forced to rely on the others for help.

'All that training… And I still need to be protected…'

Luffy glanced at the Marine cloak that hung beside the bed, the word 'Justice' prominently displayed towards him.

'I have to get stronger, no matter the cost… I don't want to feel powerless ever again.'

* * *

Luffy stepped out on the deck, stretching himself with a satisfied groan. He managed to endure the two day confinement in bed after everyone had threatened him with something of their own if he didn't.

He hopped on to the figurehead of Merry, sitting himself on it as he let the cool breeze blow past him, his cloak billowing behind him.

"Luffy, we'll be nearing Alabasta in two more days, what are your plans?" Smoker called out from the battleship sailing alongside Merry.

Luffy glanced back at Vivi, "Which part of Alabasta are we headed for, Vivi?"

Vivi scratched her chin, contemplating, "We'll head to the port city of Nanohana to resupply first, then we'll have to make our way to the town of Yuba where the rebel army is located at."

"Why do we have to meet the rebel army? Aren't we going to beat up Crocodile?" Usopp tilted his head.

Vivi shook her head, "It's not enough to just beat Crocodile, we still have to stop the civil war from escalating any further. If I can meet the leader of the rebel army, I can convince them that the whole thing was set up from the start and stop the battle before it happens."

"And what about Crocodile?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Once we stop the civil war, we'll have plenty of time to arrest him," Smoker grunted.

"You sure he won't just up and run away?" Sanji frowned.

Smoker smirked, "Heh, even if he tries to run, he'll be a wanted criminal again. It's already over for him."

"So his plans are already doomed to fail from the start? I like that," Nami grinned.

"Speaking of which, what's with the giant cloud of smoke ahead?" Usopp nodded towards the white cloud directly ahead of them.

"Oh, that's just steam, nothing to worry about," Nami glanced at the cloud. "There should be an underwater volcano underneath that spot, perhaps in a few thousand years, there might a new island here."

"Wow, do you think we'll be here to see it?" Chopper stared at the smoke with sparkles in his eyes.

"I highly doubt any of us can live long enough to see that, Chopper…" Usopp patted his head.

"On another note, our supplies do seem to be running quite low," Sanji frowned, glancing towards Luffy. "Don't suppose you could fish up another Sea King?"

Luffy grinned, standing up, "Leave it to me!"

He passed his straw hat and cloak to Nami before jumping into the sea without a second thought.

"Is he seriously going to catch a Sea King?" Chopper leaned over the railing, staring at the sea.

"You better believe it," Zoro grinned. "That guy's the real monster among us."

A few seconds passed silently as both ships sailed towards the steam.

Smoker finally raised an eyebrow, "You think he can find us inside the steam?"

The Straw Hats glanced at one another before rushing to the side of the railing, screaming out in unison.

"LUFFY!"

* * *

Luffy kicked through the water, using Geppo to accelerate himself through the water quickly, scanning the water for any signs of a Sea King.

He didn't have to wait long to find one.

A greenish serpentine Sea King spotted him and began charging towards Luffy, jaws opening wide to swallow him whole.

'Hmm… A bit small… But you'll have to do,' Luffy thought to himself, kicking towards the Sea King to meet it.

The Sea King snapped its jaws at Luffy, trying to swallow the Marine whole, only to end up with a mouthful of seawater. Luffy had kicked himself away at the last moment, ending up beside the Sea King's head.

Luffy smirked as he threw his fist back, encasing it in armament haki before delivering a crushing blow straight into the side of the Sea King's head.

A shockwave blasted out from the punch, sending waves in every direction that could be felt even on the ships above, rocking both the battleship and Merry on the crashing waves.

The Sea King's eyes rolled back into its head as Luffy grabbed its jaws with a hand, swimming back up towards the surface while towing it behind him.

He broke through the surface of the water, the carcass of the Sea King surfacing behind him.

"Where's everyone?" Luffy frowned, scanning around the empty seas. He set his sights on the steam ahead of him, focusing his Observation haki to find the voices of his friends.

"Shishishi, found them," Luffy grinned, diving back down with the Sea King behind him.

* * *

"Oh… This steam reeks of sulphur…" Usopp coughed.

"I can't see a thing in here…" Vivi frowned, bumping against the mast of the ship.

"Just bear with it, we should be almost through." Nami stayed near the mast.

An explosion of warm water buffeted them suddenly, enough to get them soaked but not enough to throw anyone overboard.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Luffy laughed, standing on the railing while holding on to the Sea King.

"Luffy? Is that you? Did you manage to catch one?" Sanji groped around blindly towards Luffy's voice.

"Yep! Though it's rather small," Luffy chuckled.

Zoro shook the water out of his hair, "Can't you be more careful? Now I'm soaked…"

"How did you even find us?" Nami shuffled towards Luffy's direction carefully, hands reached out in front of her.

"Oh, I just followed your voices," Luffy sat on the railing, securing the Sea King to the side of the ship with a rope.

"It's another one of that haki thing isn't it?" Zoro frowned.

"Yeah, this one's a little trickier to master though." Luffy stepped on to the deck, the only one who wasn't fazed with the zero visibility.

He gripped Nami's and Sanji's hands just as they neared the railing, pulling their hands down to their sides as they gasped in shock.

"Don't walk around like that, you might trip on something," Luffy grinned.

"Never thought I'd hear you say something sensible," Sanji grinned.

A few minutes passed before both ships finally pulled out of the steam, both crews breathing out a sigh of relief.

The Straw Hats glanced over the railing to inspect Luffy's catch, the Sea King easily dwarfing the ship itself with the head twice the size of Merry.

"You call this small?!" Sanji pointed an accusing finger at the Sea King.

Luffy blinked at him, as though Sanji just asked him a really stupid question, "Of course it's small, the ones my Gran—Err… Trainer made me fight were several times bigger than this."

The others only could shook their heads silently while Chopper glanced up at Luffy with sparkles in his eyes.

That was when they realized there was a man clinging to the side of the Sea King. The man wore a flamboyantly pink overcoat over his blue medieval clothes that showed his unshaven legs. A pair of ballet shoes accompanied his dressing while two swans poked out from his shoulders. To top it off, he wore heavy makeup complete with lipstick, eyeliner and blush.

"There's an okama!" The crew shouted, shocking the man into letting go of the Sea King and falling into the sea.

Everyone watched as he splashed into the sea, waiting for the eventual surfacing of the okama that never came.

"Don't tell me… He can't swim?" Chopper gasped.

Without hesitation, Luffy leapt into the water again, kicking both his feet back and rocketing into the water.

He found the okama sinking into the sea, his body frozen up in a ballet pose as he sunk.

Luffy grabbed him by the wrist and jumped back out from the sea, landing on the deck of merry with a gasping okama.

The okama bowed his head to them, "Please forgive this foolish swan for wandering on to your boat, to be rescued by Marines, I am in your debt."

"What the hell are you doing clinging on that Sea King?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

The okama bowed again, "I do not know what overcame me, but I was on a ship with my comrades while passing through the steam, and before I knew it, I ended up on the Sea King."

"THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING!" The crew shouted at him.

"What's going on over there?" Smoker shouted across from his ship.

"Nothing, we just rescued an idiot from the sea," Zoro waved his hand at him.

"I… See…" Smoker raised an eyebrow before disappearing back to his ship.

"So you can't swim?" Usopp crossed his arms at the okama.

The okama sat up, "Indeed, for you see, I have eaten a devil fruit myself."

"Oh? Which one is it?" Sanji raised his eyebrow at him.

The okama scratched his chin, "Oh, while I have no doubt my comrades are looking for me now, I guess I can treat you daisies to a show while waiting for them."

He patted his leg as he stood up, throwing his arm back, "Behold! My ability!"

He slammed his right palm towards Luffy, only for Luffy to tilt his head towards the side, avoiding his palm strike.

The okama raised an eyebrow as he struck his palm towards Luffy's head again, missing again when Luffy tilted his head the other way.

The okama frowned as he delivered a flurry of palm strikes with his right hand at Luffy's face but Luffy managed to avoid them all with minimal effort.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nami smacked the okama on the head.

"Oh phooie," the okama rubbed his head where Nami had smacked him. "I wanted to surprise you daisies too, I need to touch your face with my right hand for my ability to work."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Luffy grinned, standing in front of the okama.

"Now behold! My ability!" The okama touched Luffy's face gently this time.

He did a pirouette on the spot in front of Luffy, "Now stooop joooking around!"

When he finally came to a stop, Luffy found himself staring at his own face.

"Hey! It's me!" Luffy laughed.

"They're identical!" Usopp gasped.

"Surprised?" The okama laughed. "This is the power of my Mane Mane fruit! If I touch my face again with my left hand, I go back to normal!"

True to his word, as soon as his left hand touched his face, the Luffy mask he had on him disappeared.

"His voice and shape… They were exactly the same!" Nami gasped.

"That's so cool!" Both Luffy and Chopper had sparkles in their eyes.

"Gaaahhahhaha! As long as I touch a person's face with my right hand," The okama laughed as he skipped along the deck, touching Zoro, Usopp and Sanji's faces.

"I can change into them whenever I want!"

He spun as he changed his face into each of the three men with each spin.

The okama changed his face back before sighing sadly, "Well… That's all I can risk showing you right now…"

"But that's so awesome!"

"Show us more!"

"I wanna see more!"

Chopper, Usopp and Luffy had sat themselves in front of the okama and clapped at him to continue.

The okama immediately leapt up and did a pirouette, "Well, for my next act then!"

"He's easily convinced…" Nami sweat dropped.

"I'll show you my memory ability! Any faces that I've touched in the past…" The okama touched his face several times, changing his face into faces that the crew have never seen before. The crew did not notice Vivi gasp at one of the faces he had changed into.

"I do not forget!" The okama flourished.

"Bravo! Bravo!" The okama's three attentive audience clapped enthusiastically before proceeding to dance along with him.

"Urgh… You guys are unbelievable…" Sanji shook his head.

Nami noticed a ship sailing towards them from the distance, "Hey, is that your comrade's ship?"

The okama leapt up on the railing, spotting the ship, "Oh phooie, time to part ways already? Such a pity…"

"Noooo…." Luffy, Usopp and Chopper groaned.

The okama turned back to them, tears in his eyes, "Fear not my silly billies! Farewells are always inevitable! But never forget this, the length of time spent together has no bearing on true friendship!"

The okama leapt from Merry on to the boat, giving them a thumbs up.

Chopper, Usopp and Luffy waved at the ship's railing, "Let's meet again someday!"

The okama's ship sped away, "Let us be off, my daisies!"

"Yes sir, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei!" The crew shouted back.

The deck of Merry became silent immediately. Smoker appeared on the deck in a cloud of smoke, raising an eyebrow at the Straw Hats.

"Hey, I thought I heard someone call out Mr. 2?"

"He's one of them…" Luffy frowned.

"Who?" Smoker tilted his head.

"The okama we rescued just now," Sanji offered.

Smoker cursed under his breath, "Should we give chase? Commodore Luffy?"

Luffy shook his head, "No… He's headed in the opposite direction… We don't have time to waste anymore…"

Usopp looked up at Vivi who stood above the deck, "Didn't you recognize him, Vivi?"

Vivi shook her head, "I've never met him before and I never knew about his abilities… This is bad… When he was showing off the faces earlier, I noticed one of them was the face of my father's…"

"He had the face of the king of Alabasta?" Nami gasped.

Vivi nodded slowly, frowning towards the direction where Mr. 2 had disappeared to, "Just what has he been using my father's face for?"

"With the face of the king, the amount of damage he could do is immeasurable…" Zoro crossed his arms.

"If he realizes that we are the enemy, he can use our faces to turn us against one another…" Nami bit her thumb.

Smoker grunted, "We'll have to come up with a countermeasure then."

"You have a plan?" Sanji glanced at the Captain.

"A password? A gesture? No… He can find out about these easily…" Smoker scratched his chin.

"What about this?" Zoro held up a length of bandage.

Chopper raised an eyebrow, "Are we going to pretend we're injured?"

Zoro let a smirk cross his face, He took out a marker and drew a cross on his arm before tying the bandage around it, holding it up for the rest to see.

"A two-step verification system? That seems too smart for someone like you to come up," Sanji noted.

"Shut up, you ero-cook! I'll kill you!" Zoro yelled at him.

"So if one of us doubts the other's true identity, we'll have them show us their mark." Nami scratched her chin.

"Indeed, this would clear up any doubts and avoid any infighting, it won't be easy for him to find out about this either," Smoker nodded.

"We'll go ahead with that then, in the meantime, continue on our route to Alabasta," Luffy rolled up his sleeves, taking up a length of bandage as well.

Everyone nodded, taking up their own length of bandage as well.

"The thing I'm worried about though, is the current condition of your father, Vivi," Luffy glanced at the princess.

"My… Father? Why?" Vivi tilted her head.

"Mr. 2 could turn into your father, that means he has managed to find a way to get within touching distance of the king." Luffy frowned at her, his eyes serious.

Vivi stifled a gasp, realizing her father might be in grave danger, "What do we do?"

"I suggest we go straight to the capital instead of looking for the rebels, make sure the king himself is safe. If he gets replaced by a fake, all our efforts would be in vain anyway." Luffy tightened the bandage around his arm.

"But… What about the rebels? And Crocodile?" Vivi frowned.

"We can deal with the rebels after you return to your father, I'm sure it'll be easier for you to contact the rebels once you're there, right?" Nami clasped her shoulder.

"That… That's true…" Vivi nodded.

Smoker cracked his knuckles, "As for Crocodile, we can split up to take him out."

Zoro raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"We'll have a group escort princess Vivi to her father and ensure both of their safety, then we'll have another group infiltrate towards Rainbase." Smoker grinned.

"Rainbase?" The Straw Hats tilted their heads.

Vivi widened her eyes, "It's where Crocodile currently resides… How did you know that?"

Smoker raised an eyebrow at her, "It's no big secret among the Marines to where each of the Warlords are, we do need to keep tabs on them, after all."

"Alright, that means I'm going to Rainbase then," Luffy stretched himself.

"So who's going with him?" Sanji crossed his arms.

Smoker and Zoro stepped forward without hesitation.

"So that leaves the rest of us to escort Vivi," Sanji glanced at the others.

"Tashigi will accompany you with the rest of my men, I want you guys to make sure the king is properly protected while we're dealing with Crocodile." Smoker jerked a thumb towards his ship.

"But what about the other agents? No doubt they would be on the move as well." Zoro frowned.

"If their goal is to seize this country for their own, their final destination should lie within the capital of Alabasta itself. I dare say these agents will definitely be assembling there as well." Sanji smirked.

"Unfortunately, we still don't know when they will put their plans into motion…" Nami bit her thumb.

"Not quite, since Mr. 2 is still out here, I doubt Crocodile would want to move before all his agents are gathered together," Zoro grinned.

"So we still have time to foil his plans!" Usopp clapped his hands.

Vivi nodded, "We'll first dock at Nanohana, then we'll move up towards the capital city, Alubarna."

"Then Smoker, Zoro and I will go ahead to Rainbase and kick Crocodile's ass!" Luffy punched his fist in the air.

* * *

Marines poured into the harbour after both ships dropped anchor in the port town of Nanohana.

The Straw Hats stood attentively in front of their Commodore, awaiting their commander's instructions.

"All right, we'll be buying supplies from this town before setting off to Alulama," Luffy began.

"It's Alubarna, Luffy," Nami injected.

"Shishishi, right, Alubanana. We'll meet back here in half an hour." Luffy grinned.

"Alubarna, Luffy," Usopp offered.

"Alubarna… Right, just meet back here in half an hour, we'll be using the ships to travel upstream towards the capital."

"Aye, sir!" The Straw Hats saluted smartly before dispersing.

Tashigi stepped up beside Luffy, "Commodore, Luffy! I'll have my men resupply as well before joining all of you upstream. It'll take a longer while for us to get ready since we have a larger crew."

"It's alright then, what about Smoker?" Luffy tilted his head at her.

"I'll join your ship," Smoker grunted, stepping beside Tashigi. "She can handle the others."

"Okey dokey, we'll meet you there, Tashigi."

"Yes sir!" Tashigi spun around to rejoin her men.

"On another note, isn't that… Hina's ship?" Smoker jerked his chin towards the other Marine ship at the dock.

"Eh? Oh! It is! So Hina already got here!" Luffy grinned.

"You don't suppose we should link up with her?" Smoker raised an eyebrow.

Luffy laughed, "Why not? It'll be fun with more people!"

Smoker sighed, "Where do you propose we find her?"

Luffy shrugged, "I wouldn't know, maybe we'll find her by walking around town. Want to join me?"

Smoker glanced back at his men, still in the midst of disembarking, "I guess why not, we have time."

"Let's go then!" Luffy lead the way to the town center.

Before the 2 could even exit the harbour, a huge pillar of flame sprouted up from within the city.

"What's going on there?" Smoker frowned.

"Don't know, should we check it out?" Luffy grinned.

Smoker nodded an affirmative before they ran towards the pillar of fire, going against the crowd of people that are trying to run away from it.

"We'll have to go above this crowd, Luffy!" Smoker blasted himself to one of the many roofs around, glancing back to see Luffy literally running on air as he kept up behind him.

Another wall of flame sprouted up near the first one and gun fires were heard.

Both Marine officers sped to the scene, finding a pirate facing off against a company of Marine riflemen, his body spewing out flames.

The pirate was bare chested with a tattoo of a purple cross behind a moustached skull on his back. He had black knee length shorts accompanied with a pair of black combat boots. On his head rested an orange hat with two blue smileys on the rim.

Smoker furrowed his brows as he recognized the pirate, "What is he doing here?!"

Without hesitation, he propelled himself with his smoke, stabbing his jitte towards the pirate.

The man had noticed his descent, smirking at him as he blasted himself back with fire from his hands.

"Captain Smoker!" The marines gasped as the Captain stepped out from the crater he smashed.

"What is the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates second division doing here?" Smoker pointed his jitte at the pirate.

The man grinned at him, "Hey, I was just passing through, I didn't even start any trouble."

Smoker narrowed his eyes, "Don't lie to me, you pirates are all the same, causing trouble wherever you go."

"Smoker? What are you doing here?" A female Marine Captain stepped out, biting down on her cigarette.

"Good to see you too, Hina, mind telling me what's going on?" Smoker nodded in greeting.

Hina grinned, "Caught him wandering around the town, he said he was looking for another pirate and his brother. What do you think?"

Smoker cracked his knuckles, "I think we should take him down, and you might want to put out that cigarette of yours."

Hina frowned, "I agree with the first one, but why the cigarette?"

"You should know who I was with before I got here," Smoker grunted, propelling himself towards the pirate with his jitte by his side.

It didn't take long for Hina to spot Luffy sitting at one of the roofs, watching Smoker and the pirate duke it out with a smile on his face.

Hina brightened up as she crushed her cigarette under her heel without hesitation, ignoring the two Logia Devil Fruit users going at each other's throats.

"You should know better than to fight me, Captain Smoker! Your smoke fighting against my fire won't get us anywhere!" the pirate smirked.

He swung his arm in an arc, spewing out a wall of fire to block Smoker from reaching him.

Smoker gritted his teeth as he launched himself up in the air above the fire, propelling himself towards the pirate.

"Portgas D. Ace! Cease your resistance!" Smoker stabbed his jitte towards him.

Ace sidestepped the blow, blasting himself back from the Marine again, "No can do Smokey, I'm rather busy now."

"Don't you dare call me that!" Smoker yelled, swinging his jitte at the pirate.

Ace leaned back to avoid the blow, chuckling to himself. He didn't notice the figure kicking towards him from behind.

Hina planted a kick firmly on his face, sending him crashing away from them.

"What took you?" Smoker grunted, stepping beside Hina.

"I was here first, Smoker-kun, I should be asking you that," Hina smirked at him.

"Where's Luffy?" Smoker watched Ace get back up from the floor, frowning at them.

Hina flicked her hair back, "He's content to watch for now it seems."

"I guess we shouldn't disappoint then," Smoker cracked his knuckles before hefting his jitte on his shoulder.

Ace frowned at them, he can handle a single Marine Captain without breaking a sweat, but with two working together? He might cause quite a bit of collateral damage to his surroundings.

"Hey… Any chance you two could just let me go? I really don't want to fight…" Ace scratched his head.

"No way," Both Hina and Smoker lunged towards him.

Smoker swung his jitte towards Ace's right while Hina kicked low towards his left.

Ace grinned as he backhanded Smoker's jitte away while jumping over Hina's kick.

He spun in circle as he spewed flames from all over his body, encasing himself in a tornado of flames.

Both Captains gritted their teeth as they leapt back from the flames, shielding themselves from the heat.

"This guy's more trouble than he's worth," Hina crossed her arms.

"He's not a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates for nothing," Smoker swung his jitte in an arc.

Ace released his flames as he smirked at then, "Can I leave now, pretty please?"

"You—" Smoker began, just as a figure rushed towards Ace, fists clenched and punching towards the pirate.

Ace flinched back just in time to avoid the blow, frowning at the newcomer.

He didn't have time to speak as the figure spun on his heel and kicked towards his head, missing the pirate by mere inches.

"Don't take me lightly!" Ace blasted a gout of flame at him.

The figure disappeared just as the fire reached him, reappearing behind Ace.

Ace only had time to gasp as the figure tackled him, arms wrapping around his waist and pushing him on to the ground.

"ACE!" Luffy shouted, hugging his brother.

"Lu… Luffy?!" Ace stared down at his brother in disbelief.

"Eh?" Both Smoker and Hina tilted their heads at them.

"Ace! What are you doing here?" Luffy got up, holding out a hand to him.

Ace grinned as he pulled himself up, "You didn't get my message at Drum Island? I said I would be waiting here for a while."

Luffy raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Ah, no matter, so I see you really did become a Marine, are you an Admiral yet?" Ace punched Luffy's shoulder lightly.

"Shishishi, I'm still a Commodore, but I'm getting there! So are you going to be the Pirate King any time soon?" Luffy laughed.

"Well, I decided I'm going to help Whitebeard be the Pirate King instead, I owe him a lot," Ace rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Don't mind if we interrupt… Luffy? What's going on? Do you know him?" Hina approached the two.

Ace wrapped an arm around Luffy's neck, bringing him into a headlock, "This is the brother I was talking about."

"You're brothers with Commodore Luffy?!" Smoker widened his eyes. "Your names aren't even the same!"

"We're not related by blood," Luffy laughed as he pried himself from the head lock. "But he's my brother all the same."

Hina and Smoker looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"So what brings you here, Ace?" Luffy poked Ace on the arm.

Ace adjusted his hat as his grin faltered slightly, "I'm hunting for another Whitebeard pirate that had killed one of our own. He used to be my subordinate so I had to take responsibility for his treachery. That aside, what are you doing here? Are you on patrol?"

"Nah, I'm here to stop a civil war," Luffy said casually.

"Heh, not bad," Ace pinched Luffy's cheek playfully. "Well I'd like to stay and chat, but I don't think your colleagues would take well to my presence."

Luffy glanced at Hina and Smoker, both of them had their predatory eyes glued on Ace.

"Erm… Guys? Can we let him go?" Luffy twiddled his fingers.

Both Captains glanced at the Commodore incredulously.

"Luffy, he's a commander of Whitebeard's crew," Smoker frowned.

"Even if he's your brother, he's still a dangerous pirate…" Hina scratched her chin.

Luffy stared at them with puppy eyes, "Pretty please?"

Hina flinched back immediately, turning around to face the other way, "I… I see no pirate around, do you, Smoker-kun?"

Smoker stared at her with wide eyes, "What? You… You can't just… He… But…"

Smoker looked back at Luffy, there seemed to be sparkles in his eyes now.

"You… Damn it! I'll wait for you back at the harbour!" Smoker stormed away, fuming.

"Then I'll meet you back at the harbour too, Luffy! It's nice to see you again!" Hina pulled him into a bear hug before running after Smoker.

"You have… Interesting companions…" Ace stared after the two departing Captains.

"Shishishi, I know. Do you want to meet my crew?" Luffy grinned.

Ace raised an eyebrow, "They're all Marines aren't they?"

"Yeah! It'll be fine! You can just meet us out at sea later, we're setting off in about half an hour!" Luffy grinned.

Ace smirked, "You're not giving them a lot of trouble, are you? Knowing how you're like back when we were still young, you were really quite the troublemaker."

"Hey! I'm a Marine officer now! I know how to take care of my crew!" Luffy pouted.

"Right right," Ace ruffled Luffy's hair. "I heard Gramps took you away with him right after I left?"

"Yeah, he was rather disappointed that you weren't there with me..." Luffy frowned.

"Ah well, we have different dreams after all, tell Gramps I'm sorry." Ace scratched his head guiltily. "On another note, you seemed to have gotten stronger, Luffy."

Luffy smirked at him, "Yeah! Gramps trained me a lot! I bet I can beat you now!"

"Yeah, ok, Luffy. Keep telling yourself that," Ace laughed.

"It's true! I'm much stronger than before!" Luffy puffed his cheeks.

Ace ruffled his brother's hair again, "Alright, alright, my little brother has gotten much stronger. Come find me again when you become an Admiral."

"I will! And I'll prove to you then that I'm stronger than you!" Luffy placed his hands on his hips.

"Hahaha, I'll wait for you then. Go join up with your friends, I'll catch up with you." Ace shooed him towards the town.

"I'll see you later!" Luffy waved back as he sprinted towards the still departing Captains.

* * *

Luffy caught up to Smoker and Hina just as they entered the town.

"Lighten up Smoker-kun, you don't want to upset Luffy now, do you?" Hina prodded him.

"Shut up…" Smoker crossed his arms.

Luffy leapt on to Smoker's back without warning, "Thanks Smokey! I owe ya one!"

"Shut up! Get off me!" Smoker shook the Commodore off his back, though a grin still plastered on his face.

Hina chuckled as Luffy finally got off Smoker, "Speaking of which, Luffy... Do you know what's going on with Crocodile?"

"Ah right, I suppose you're the one Headquarters sent to investigate?" Smoker grunted, walking towards the harbour.

Hina nodded an affirmative, throwing an arm over Luffy's shoulders, "So do explain, my Commodore, just what exactly have I gotten myself into?"

Luffy scratched his chin, "Well… Er… The whole civil war in Alabasta was instigated by Crocodile, so now we're going to kick his ass."

"That kinda summarizes it," Smoker grinned. "Specifically, one of his Commanders, Luffy and I will be heading to where Crocodile is."

Hina squeezed Luffy closer to her, "And the others?"

"They'll be guarding the king and the princess, we have a hunch Crocodile might send his agents to target them." Smoker pointedly looked away from her.

"Well then, that Commander can join them in guard duty, I'm going with you guys too," Hina poked Luffy on the cheek.

Smoker frowned, "Who'll lead the rest?"

"I'm sure that Tashigi of yours or any of Luffy's crew can lead proficiently," Hina grinned.

Smoker raised an eyebrow at her, "No one on your side?"

Hina remembered the two new recruits and quickly shook her head, "They're a hopeless bunch."

"Fine then," Smoker grunted. "But you'll have to tell them yourself."

The three Marine officers continued their way to the harbor.

* * *

Going Merry pulled away from the harbor, leaving the other two Marine ships behind to head towards the river.

Besides the usual Straw Hats, Smoker and Hina stood among them on the deck.

"Why do I have to give up my spot to you? Can't I just go along as well?" Zoro protested, standing face to face with Hina.

Hina crossed her arms, "Four persons too much of a crowd, we'll get detected easier while heading to Rainbase."

"Well then why don't you stay behind? None of us had officer training so you're better suited than us to lead!" Zoro poked a finger at her.

"Then consider this your impromptu officer training, all of you are holding officer positions so you're expected to lead. You can't push this responsibility away forever!" Hina countered, standing firm.

Zoro glanced back at the rest of the crew, all of them staring at the two of them uneasily.

"Commander Zoro," Smoker leaned on the mast. "Just let it be... Take care of the rest of your crew, leave your Commodore to us."

Zoro humphed as he turned away from Hina, stomping back to rejoin the others.

"Let's confirm our roles then," Nami stepped forward. "We are to sail upstream and escort Vivi to the city of Alubarna. With the exception of Commodore Luffy, Captain Hina and Captain Smoker, we are to remain in the capital and protect the Royal Family from any threats coming from Baroque Works."

"How are we supposed to get to Rainbase from there though?" Hina frowned.

"I should be able to request the deployment of our Super Spot Billed Duck Squad, they're the fastest squad in Alabasta," Vivi offered, glancing at Carue.

"I guess there's nothing to do but to wait then?" Sanji leaned against the railing, watching the waves roll past, just in time to see a figure speeding towards them on a Striker. His eyes widened when he sees the flag of a pirate Jolly Roger on its mast.

"Incoming!" Sanji managed to shout as Ace leapt up from his Striker on to the deck of Merry.

"He's a pirate!" Zoro drew his swords.

Chopper hid behind the mast while Usopp drew back his sling shot. Namie stood in front of Vivi and assembled her staff with a flourish.

Ace nodded at them, satisfied, "Not bad, you've got a good crew, Luffy."

"Who are you?" Sanji demanded, his leg poised in the air.

"Luffy's brother, apparently," Smoker rolled his eyes, stepping to the back of the ship.

"Brother?!" The Straw Hats gasped collectively.

Ace gave them a mock salute, "Sup."

"Ace!" Luffy ran up and gave his brother a hug.

"Thanks for taking care of my brother for me, no doubt he's a handful huh?" Ace grinned while ruffling Luffy's hair.

Luffy pouted, "I know how to take care of myself now!"

"Mr. Ace? If you don't mind me asking?" Vivi pointed to the tattoo on his back.

"It's as you thought, he's a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Not just any member either, he's a commander of the second division." Hina crossed her arms.

"Luffy! Your family is full of dangerous people!" Nami yelled at him.

"Shishishi, Ace is fine, he's my big brother!" Luffy laughed.

"THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!" His crew yelled at him.

"Hahaha! You have a good crew Luffy," Ace laughed as he released Luffy from the hug. "Take this."

Ace tossed a folded piece of paper to him.

"Oh? You have a Vivre card too? I'll give you mine too!" Luffy dug through his cloak until he pulled out a similar looking piece of paper that he tore a part out to hand to Ace.

Ace grinned as he tucked the Vivre card in his pants, "Well I shan't be staying here for any longer, it's not good for me to be seen with you guys anyway."

"Awww... It'll be fine! Can't you stay for a while? I haven't even introduced everyone yet!" Luffy frowned.

Ace ruffled his hair again, "Sorry Luffy, I have my own business too, but you definitely have a good crew here. Why don't you formally introduce us the next time we meet?"

"Oh, fine…" Luffy pouted.

Ace turned to regard the rest of the crew, tilting his hat at them, "I know he might be rather difficult at times, but I hope you'll continue to take care of him well. Having a little brother like him is stressful for an older brother's heart."

Everyone nodded quickly.

Ace grinned when he saw how fast their response was before leaping over the railing to land on his Striker gracefully.

"See you, Ace!" Luffy waved from the side of his ship as Ace sped away, waving back at him.

"Luffy? Is he really your big brother?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"We're not related by blood if that's what you're asking," Luffy grinned at him.

"I… I see…" Nami breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Garp only had one grandchild after all.

"He's... nice... I expected him to be more like Luffy..." Zoro scratched his head.

"He's such a good person!" Chopper gazed after Ace's disappearing figure.

"But is this fine? Letting such a dangerous pirate go like that?" Usopp scratched his head.

Hina chuckled, "Well, I don't suppose any of you are in the mood to capture him now, are you?"

Everyone turned to their grinning Commodore before turning back and shaking their heads in unison, "Nope, not at all."

"Well good, we should make haste towards Alubarna then, we've wasted enough time already," Smoker finally stepped out from the back of the ship.

"Full speed ahead! We're gonna kick Crocodile's ass!" Luffy yelled, punching his hands in the air.


	18. Chapter 18: Thunder In The Distance

_A/N: Yay, updates!_

 _Well, I'm sorry for being a wet blanket as I have more bad news for you guys. I'll tell you guys on my next update though since that will motivate me to get that chapter out faster before i leave you guys hanging for an answer. Just prepare yourselves for the worst. :(_

 _Anyway, I should hopefully have the next one up by Wednesday at latest. :D_

 _Enjoy :D_

* * *

The small band of Marines made their way through the crowded streets of the city of Alubarna. The Marines had surrounded Vivi defensively, each of them looking out for any signs of Baroque Works agents.

They had managed to land the ship at the river bed closest to the capital before heading there on foot.

All of them had a traveling cloak thrown over their shoulders with the hoods up to cover their faces.

"Why are we hiding ourselves again?" Usopp whispered, pushing himself through the crowd.

"Crocodile's men would definitely know how Vivi looks like... If they know we've brought Vivi back, there's no telling what will happen." Nami whispered back, pulling her hood further down her face.

Zoro tugged at the cloak uncomfortably, "Don't you think we look even more suspicious with these cloaks on?"

"Not at all," Vivi glanced back at him. "Plenty of travelers from distant towns would wear these kinds of cloaks to protect them from the sun and sand. We'll look more like traveling merchants if nothing else."

"Vivi-chwan is so smart!" Sanji swooned.

"What an idiotic buffoon," Zoro sighed.

Sanji gritted his teeth at Zoro, "Shut up you insensitive brute! This is why you'll never get a girl!"

"And you doing that will actually get you one? Perhaps in a million years or so," Zoro smirked.

"You wanna go?!" Sanji rolled up his sleeves.

"You don't stand a chance!" Zoro reached for his blades under his cloak.

"Knock it off!" Nami chopped Sanji on the head.

"Is this how a Marine officer acts?!" Hina slapped Zoro at the back of his head.

Sanji pirouetted around Nami, "Yes Nami-swaaan!"

Zoro rubbed his head to ease the pain, "He started it…"

"That's enough! Can we just move towards the castle without any more fuss?" Smoker frowned at them.

They quieted down and moved back to their original positions around Vivi, passing through the streets of the city into a side street for a short cut.

"So hot…" Chopper whined, clinging on to Luffy's back.

"I guess you really are a reindeer huh, Chopper?" Usopp poked him.

Chopper frowned, "Of course I'm a reindeer, what are you talking about?"

"A tanuki," Zoro said offhandedly.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper yelled.

"Alright, alright, Chopper, just let it rest, you're no good in the heat anyway," Luffy grinned at him.

"It's so hot…" Chopper whined again.

Vivi glanced back at the doctor apologetically, "Sorry, we're almost there already, just bear with it for a while longer."

The nine of them continued to wade through the streets towards the palace, finally reaching the stairs that lead up towards its gates.

The palace guards by the sides crossed their weapons, barring their path.

"Halt! State your business here!" One of the guards commanded.

Vivi lifted a hand to pull back her hood but Smoker reached out a hand to stop her, "Stick to the ruse, we don't know if Crocodile has agents among the Royal army either."

Vivi nodded, allowing the hood to fall back down to further hide her face. She stepped forward to address the guards, "We're traveling merchants, we have wares we wish to show the king."

"What kind of wares?" The other guard raised his eyebrow.

Vivi faltered a bit at the question but Sanji managed to step up, "They're of a rather sensitive nature, the king ordered it from us himself. I'm sure gentlemen like yourselves understand this, right?"

The guards looked at one another before turning to the group, "You can enter, but we'll have our eyes on you."

"Much appreciated," Sanji nodded towards the guards as thanks while they pushed the large gates open.

A group of four guards stood on the other side of the gate, ready to receive them.

"Lead these merchants to the king," The guard at the gate nodded to the escorts.

The four guards took their positions with two at the back and two at the front, silently leading the way to the audience chamber.

"What's with all the security?" Usopp frowned.

Zoro snorted, "If you happened to forget, this country's still in the midst of a civil war. Do you think they'll let anyone near the king?"

"No, Usopp's right… My father's not the kind of person who would do this… Something must have happened…" Vivi whispered soft enough to not be overheard by the guards.

They stopped in front of a large double door, two more guards flanking by the sides of the door.

"Your majesty! A group of merchants request audience!"

"Send them in," A muffled reply sounded from behind the door.

The doors were pushed open to reveal a grand chamber within. A large red carpet led from the door to an elevated platform that the throne sat, a large group of Royal guards flanked both sides of the hall.

The king himself sat on the throne, his posture upright and proud like a king but his eyes showed the weariness of sleepless nights. No doubt the war in his own country has taken a rather large toll on his health. Even with that, he still managed to greet the group with a smile. On the other hand, the two men that flanked the throne had their arms crossed, glaring down pointedly at the group.

The one on the left was a tall man with a purple line under each eye that ran down along his face. He wore pure white robes that were dotted with brown star-like motifs and a similarly decorated cloth hat sat on his head. A long scimitar was secured prominently on his right waist.

The other man stood even taller with broad shoulders and dark skin. A purple sash was secured over a larger red one over the light green tunic he wore that revealed a part of his muscular chest. A dark green coat was also draped over his shoulders that half hid the massive blade he had secured on his right waist.

The group walked quickly down the hall, stopping a few feet away from the throne. The guards murmured among themselves about their suspicious appearances with their hands gripping their weapons tightly, though they made no move against them.

"Welcome merchants, I'm afraid we don't have much to spare in terms of coin, but you're welcome to show your wares to us. We won't begrudge you business if you offer something we need," the king nodded towards them.

"We do have something highly valuable to offer, but it's for your eyes and ears only," Sanji bowed to him.

The king lifted an eyebrow at them, "May I at least inquire about the nature of such an item?"

"Information on the perpetrator of the civil war," Hina said confidently.

The guards around the room gasped collectively while the king narrowed his eyes at them with renewed interests.

"Guards, leave us," The king commanded.

The guards on either side of the hall hesitated at first but immediately filtered out of the room when the king sent them a look, closing the door shut behind them.

"Pell, Chaka, you guys too," The king glanced towards the two men beside him.

"Your Majesty, I object to leaving you alone with these suspicious group of people," The dark skinned man, Chaka, protested.

"Let us stay, your Majesty, this is as much of a problem for us as well," the robed Pell bowed his head.

"It's alright, they can stay," Vivi stepped forward, throwing back her hood confidently.

"VIVI?!" The king widened his eyes.

"PRINCESS VIVI!" Pell and Chaka gasped.

The rest of the Marines shed their cloaks, stepping in behind Vivi.

"Marines… So you've brought my daughter back? Where did you find her?" The king descended from his throne towards them, Pell and Chaka following closely behind.

"King Cobra," Smoker nodded towards him. "Your daughter bears grave news for you."

"Vivi?" Cobra glanced back at his daughter again, still unsure if the girl standing before him was not just a figment of his imagination. "Where have you been?"

"Father," Vivi hugged her father, "I'm really sorry for making you and everyone else worry, I didn't have a choice if I wanted to find out who was behind this."

"Princess Vivi, what do you mean?" Chaka frowned.

Vivi smiled at him, "I found out who was responsible for starting this civil war."

"Who is it? We'll definitely bring him to justice! He dared to frame the king with the Dance Powder and throw our own people against each other!" Pell gritted his teeth.

"It's the Shichibukai, Crocodile himself. I believe he's residing in your country?" Smoker grunted.

The three men furrowed their brows when they heard that name.

"Are you sure, Vivi? Could it have been an imposter?" Cobra frowned.

Vivi shook her head fiercely, "I saw it with my own eyes."

"The hero of Alabasta… how naive I've been…" Cobra clutched his forehead.

"So all the things he has done… They were nothing more than a ruse… It was all to gain our trust, isn't it?" Chaka gripped his sword.

"To think we have all been fooled by him… We were complete utter fools..." Pell sighed.

"Where's Igaram?" Cobra finally noticed the missing Royal Guard Captain. Chaka and Pell visibly stiffened when they realized it too.

Vivi hesitated, "He was with me, but…" Vivi glanced at Luffy.

"He's fine, I'm just not sure how he'll get here after his boat was destroyed," Luffy waved his hand at her nonchalantly.

Both Chaka and Pell breathed a sigh of relief.

"If that's the case, we now know our enemy," Cobra furrowed his brows.

Everyone turned to look at the king, anger was clear in his eyes.

"Chaka, have the army ready to move out immediately, we'll attack Crocodile at Rainbase with everything we've got left!" Cobra commanded.

"Your Majesty! Please reconsider! Crocodile will no doubt know we're coming for him and might even just escape from the country!" Pell protested.

"In the meantime, the rebel army will definitely move in to capture the palace! There must be another way!" Chaka supplemented.

"Wait, isn't the rebel army still at Yuba? They shouldn't be able to come here in such a short time," Vivi frowned.

"Princess Vivi, the rebel army moved out from Yuba quite some time ago… They're now stationed at Katorea…" Pell frowned.

"Katorea?! That's beside Nanohana!" Vivi gasped.

The Marines frowned at this revelation.

"I guess I'm just glad we decided not to go to Yuba after all…" Nami sighed.

"The others should have made their way here as well, I guess we'll just have to stick with our current plan," Smoker scratched his chin.

Cobra turned towards the Marines, "Marines, I am forever in your debt for ensuring the safety of my daughter. I, however, advise you to leave this country before this civil war escalates any further, this is our own problem to deal with."

"Father! You can't fight Crocodile!" Vivi protested.

"Indeed, your Majesty! At least listen to the princess! We'll be handing the country over to the rebels if we go after him!" Chaka stood in front of the king.

Cobra frowned, "Enough! Haven't I already said so many times before? The country is its people! Even if we lose the country to the rebels, it will still be rebuilt by the people themselves! Our only concern should be to not allow Crocodile to destroy it! If he wins, this country will be destroyed!"

"Your Majesty…" Pell gasped. Neither of the two Royal Guards had thought of that.

"No father, you still cannot fight him! I've seen his power, all of you will only be going to your deaths! This will only accelerate his plans of taking over this country!" Vivi gripped Cobra's arm.

"If I may intrude, your Majesty," Hina stepped forward.

"What is it, miss Marine?" Cobra raised an eyebrow at her.

Hina crossed her arms, "I suggest you leave Crocodile to us, no matter how you see it, he definitely is our problem since he holds the status of a Shichibukai."

"Besides, we met one of his agents earlier and he had the power to transform himself into you," Sanji crossed his arms.

"Transform into… me?" Cobra frowned.

"Indeed, he was a devil fruit user with the power to transform himself into anyone he touches," Zoro frowned from the memory, mentally kicking himself for allowing to be touched.

"So that means he has touched me before…" Cobra narrowed his eyes.

Nami nodded, "We suspect Crocodile has infiltrated agents among the Royal Army to allow that to happen. In that case, if you made a move against him, his agents will contact him immediately."

"He thought of everything…" Chaka clenched his fists.

"What do you propose then?" Cobra stretched his arms out questioningly, palms facing upwards.

"We'll assign a guard to you and the princess for your safety, another group of us will deal with Crocodile. In the meantime, I suggest you reveal the truth to your people." Luffy grinned.

Pell sighed, "Easier said than done… Right now people regard Crocodile as the hero of Alabasta, they will not accept this truth easily…"

"Even if it's not easy, we'll still have to do it! It's the only way we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed!" Vivi furrowed her brows.

Cobra grasped his daughter's shoulders, watching her carefully, "What do you plan to do, Vivi?"

"I'll talk to Kohza, he'll definitely listen to me! Please, father! We can stop this war before it escalates any further!" Vivi pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Cobra glanced up at the Marines before looking at Vivi again. He sighed, "I'll leave Crocodile to you Marines then… Please help me protect my country."

"You bet!" Luffy gave a thumbs up.

"You have my gratitude," Cobra nodded towards them. "Vivi, I'll go with you to Kantorea tomorrow morning, we can talk to Kohza then."

"I'd also suggest you watch your back, we don't know what Crocodile is planning to do next," Smoker crossed his arms.

"We will tend to his Majesty's safety personally," Pell gripped his sword.

"In the meantime, please make yourselves at home, I thank you once again for taking care of my daughter," Cobra smiled, the weariness in his eyes seemed to fade away just by a bit.

* * *

As the sun was touching the horizon, the Strawhats and Vivi stood by the gates of the city, watching the disappearing figures of Luffy, Smoker and Hina. The king had granted them permission to the use of the kingdom's Super Spot Billed Duck Squad to take them to Rainbase.

"They should reach Rainbase by tomorrow from here… I hope nothing goes wrong…" Vivi sighed.

"Relax Vivi, those guys can handle anything," Nami placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Vivi-chwan, shall I give you a massage to ease your worries?!" Sanji leaned towards her with heart-shaped eyes.

Nami chopped him on the head, "We don't need any from you!"

"What a useless cook," Zoro sighed.

"Shut up you moss head! I don't see you trying to cheer her up!" Sanji shook his fist at him.

"Can't you see you're just making it worse? Is there anything that's actually working in that empty head of yours?" Zoro glared at him.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who has absolutely no sense of direction!"

"Why you damn ero-cook!"

"You wanna go, brute?!"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Nami whacked them both on the head again.

Vivi couldn't help but smile at the Marines, they had full confidence in their comrades, not even doubting for a moment they might fail to take down a Shichibukai.

"The war should end tomorrow too, if everything goes well," Usopp grinned confidently.

"I'll… I'll do my best too!" Chopper pumped himself.

"Let's go back to the palace, we have to make sure you and your father are safe after all," Nami grinned.

Vivi nodded and turned to follow them back into the city, the three Marine Officers already a shadow on the horizon.

* * *

The Strawhats stood in the palace courtyard, the moon was already out, beaming down at the assembled Marines.

Zoro stood in front of them, arms crossed, "Alright, since our Commodore isn't here, I shall be giving out your duties."

"Who the hell put you in charge you damn moss head?" Sanji pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Shut it! That Captain Hina said so didn't she?" Zoro growled at him.

"No, she only said you were incompetent as a leader," Sanji smirked.

"Not like you're any better you damn lousy cook!"

"You wanna say something about my cooking you uncivilized neanderthal?" Sanji stepped up to Zoro

"Not like you would be able to understand me you pervert!" Zoro gritted his teeth.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Nami smacked them on the head again. "Is this what you'll stoop to once Luffy's not here?! Aren't you ashamed?!"

"Tch…" Zoro and Sanji looked away from each other.

Nami huffed at the two men, "Now, I agree with Captain Hina that we hold officer positions among the Marines but none of us are experienced in leading anything."

"I still don't have a rank though…" Chopper twiddled his hooves.

Usopp petted his head, "You'll get one soon, I'm sure Luffy already did something about it."

"What are you getting at anyway, Nami?" Zoro frowned.

Nami smirked at him, "I'm saying we go with Hina's idea, we'll learn it on the field. We'll take our direct orders from Luffy but each day we'll have a different squad leader to facilitate our actions. We'll be more effective as a whole unit than separate entities."

"I don't quite understand," Usopp raised a hand.

"I get it," Sanji grinned proudly. "What our beautiful Nami has suggested is that one of us will be appointed as a squad leader to take direct command of each of our individual actions. The squad leader will have to be commanding everyone else on where to go, who to attack and what actions to take when Luffy is otherwise occupied."

"Huh, do you think we have the luxury of such a thing?" Zoro frowned. "A single mistake the leader makes can get all of us killed."

"The leader is so scary!" Chopper hugged Usopp's legs.

"That's the whole point of us doing it now, if we can do it here, we'll definitely be a much efficient unit in the future!" Nami puffed her cheeks.

"What if everyone has different opinions on a matter?" Zoro crossed his arms.

Nami faltered, she hadn't thought of that. If everyone has held the leader position before, everyone might think of different approaches to a single problem and cause chaos among the unit.

Usopp raised his hand again, "Why not just make it so that the leader of that day holds the final say? I mean, even commanders have advisors but it's still up to the commander himself to decide ultimately…"

Nami clapped her hands, "That's right! That should work! We just have to agree on never going against the leader's commands, we must have absolute faith in our companions after all!"

Zoro and Sanji glanced at each other. They frowned at each other but nodded at the end.

"What about Luffy though?" Chopper raised a hoof.

"We can talk to him after this, I guess we can just see this as a trial period for this plan," Usopp scratched his chin.

"Good," Nami grinned, "Now we'll start with Zoro tonight, since he was the one who brought it up. Decide on our next course of action."

Zoro nodded as Sanji re-joined the ranks, this time there was no protest as Zoro gave out his commands.

"Our primary duties right now are to protect the Royal family, we'll do a shift rotation with the king while Nami can stay with Vivi for tonight." Zoro crossed his arms.

Nami nodded in understanding.

"As for the king, we'll do it in groups of two. Usopp will pair with Sanji, and I will go with Chopper. That Pell and Chaka guy can join our rotation as well."

Sanji, Chopper and Usopp nodded quickly.

"If the king is under attack, one of us will go wake the rest with the king while the last one will remain behind to hold them off. If Vivi is targeted instead, Nami will take her to us, don't attempt to fight back."

"Heh, you're not too shabby, we'll go with this," Sanji smirked.

"Alright, let's start our mission!" Usopp punched his fists in the air.

"Yeah! I'll do my best too!" Chopper thumped his chest.

"Let's make our Commodore proud!" Nami grinned.

* * *

Usopp stifled a yawn as he stretched himself among the pillows laid down in the corner of the room. Sanji stood a few feet away, leaning by the edge of the balcony of the king's room, puffing on a cigarette.

The king had readily accepted Zoro's plan but had opposed the idea of having them standing guard outside the door. Instead, he had invited them to stay in the room with him, telling them to make themselves comfortable.

The Royal Guards Pell and Chaka however had vehemently refused, stating it was their duty as Royal Guards to be the one protecting the king and it would shame them if they needed help from others.

Cobra had just waved their concerns off, stating that they already owed these Marines a huge favor when they brought Vivi safely back to them. They needed all the help they could get after all. That had then finally managed too calm the two down.

Pell and Chaka had taken the first watch while Sanji and Usopp were the second group for the night.

Usopp leaned back on the wall, watching the king size bed that the king was sleeping in. Sanji soon returned from the balcony after discarding his cigarette, closing the door behind him softly to rejoin Usopp.

"You don't think anyone would come tonight, right?" Usopp whispered.

Sanji shrugged his shoulders, "Hard to say, we don't know the details of Crocodile's plans after all."

Usopp nodded in understanding as Sanji stood beside him, leaning against the wall.

"Nothing's gonna happen, right?" Usopp twiddled his fingers nervously.

Sanji huffed, "You don't have to fight, just run with the king to the others, I'll hold them off for you."

"Ri… Right…" Usopp sighed.

It wasn't that he was afraid to fight, he was just afraid that his cowardly nature might put his friends in danger. They were all Marines now, it was their duty to protect those who don't have the power to protect themselves. But for Usopp who had always cowered whenever there was a problem, it was rather taxing of him to adapt to such an ideal..

Sure, it was obvious he had changed somewhat ever since he joined up as a Marine, but it still took great effort from him to stand up to adversaries he knows he can't beat.

" _Just get stronger then!"_

His Commodore had said that simply when Usopp had voiced his concerns to him. His answer was so calm and confident that Usopp couldn't help but rebut him. He said that he wouldn't understand since he was a monster, that it was easy to say something like that when he was already this strong.

Luffy had silenced him with a look, not one of anger but with a look of pain and regret.

" _I wasn't this strong in the past and I had to watch people die because of that. I forced myself to become stronger and promised myself I would protect everything that I could. Perhaps if i had been a monster earlier, I could've have saved more people."_

Usopp had felt ashamed at his own excuses then. It was easy to make up excuses for your own shortcomings, but it would always stick with you no matter how hard you deny its existence. Luffy had, instead, faced his own powerlessness head on and made himself stronger because of it. That was why even the giants had acknowledged his power as a warrior.

' _I shall become stronger!_ '

Usopp clenched his fists in determination. He decided then he would train himself to become stronger than he ever was before, he wanted to be the one protecting his friends instead of constantly being protected.

Of course fate had decided just then to test his determination. The door of the balcony swung inwards suddenly, two figures stepping in silently into the room. One of the figure seemed to have long frizzled hair while being short and pudgy while the other was notably bigger in height and size.

Usopp was on his feet immediately, rushing to the King's side while Sanji leapt towards the figures, leg kicking out at the bigger figure.

Sanji felt his foot impact on something hard before being thrown aside. He frowned up at the man who seemed to have drawn a weapon from his back, still unable to make out any features in the darkness.

"Hmmm? Guards? That was unexpected, I thought the king never liked having guards around, much less in his own room?" The shorter figure spoke really quickly.

By now, Cobra was shaken awake by Usopp who was pulling him towards the door with Sanji standing in between them and the intruders.

"Step aside runt, if you know what's good for you," the shorter figure, clearly a middle age woman, demanded.

"No can do, I was given this mission by my squad leader," Sanji smirked, tapping his foot on the ground.

"Sanji! Shut your eyes!" Usopp shouted.

The two figures looked towards Usopp in confusion while Sanji immediately covered his eyes with his arm, placing full trust in his comrade. Cobra had his sleeves up to cover his face while Usopp had donned his extra dark lensed goggles.

" **Flash Star!** " Usopp released a ball of spark towards the intruders that immediately exploded into a flash of searing white light.

"ARRGHHMYEYES!" The woman screamed.

"OOOOOUUUUUUUUCCCCCHHHHH….." The man was slower to react.

Sanji immediately leapt towards the two while Usopp escaped the room with the king in tow.

" **Collier!** " Sanji kicked towards the neck of the man. He was still adamant about not hurting a lady, even if she might be an old hag who is an enemy.

The large man took the full brunt of the blow with only taking a step back.

"Tch, so troublesome," Sanji frowned, landing on his feet in front of the man.

He spun on a foot to gain momentum before kicking his right leg towards the man's midsection with all his might.

" **Mouton Shot!** "

The big sized man groaned as he fell back on his hunches.

"Damn it, how heavy is this guy?!" Sanji cursed under his breath.

"You… You're a Marine…" The old lady finally got her sights back, frowning when she spotted Sanji's clothes in the moonlight.

"Good evening, I assume you guys are agents from Baroque Works then?" Zoro strutted in, swords already drawn. Usopp, Chopper and Cobra stood behind the door apprehensively. Zoro and Chopper had already been on the way to the room to relieve them, meeting a panicked Usopp accompanied by the king behind. That prompted them to immediately make a dash back to the room to aid Sanji.

The agent narrowed her eyes, "I see now, you're the Marines that escorted the princess back home. How fortunate, we'll take you all out with the king as well."

"Heh, I think it should be unfortunate for you," Zoro smirked, tying his bandana over his head.

"You guys won't be leaving here in one piece tonight," Sanji grinned.

"Don't look down on us! Mr. 4! Let's get them!"

The large man got up unsteadily, "Miiisss Meeerrry Chriiisstmass…."

"Shut up! You're too slow! Get rid of them now!" The old lady, Miss Merry Christmas smacked him on the head.

"Chopper! Protect the king! Usopp, sniper backup! Sanji you get the big guy, I'll take the old hag!" Zoro rattled out commands quickly.

"Roger!" The three yelled out simultaneously.

Sanji leapt towards Mr. 4 once more, aiming for another kick at his head.

"There's two of us here!" Miss Merry Christmas leapt at Sanji to intercept him.

"Well, there's way more of us then, you old hag!" Zoro slashed his sword at her, cutting her side.

Miss Merry Christmas hissed as she was flung to the far end of the room while Sanji kicked at the side of Mr. 4's head, avoiding the metal bat that Mr. 4 had tried to swing at him.

Miss Merry Christmas furrowed her brows and lunged towards Zoro, her fingers turning into sharp claws.

"Cheh, another Devil Fruit user?" Zoro side stepped her lunge while slashing out his swords again, cutting Miss Merry Christmas in her other side.

"Zoro!" Sanji yelled out a warning as Mr. 4 barreled past the cook, swinging his metal bat at the swordsman.

" **Lead Star!** " Usopp released his slingshot, hitting Mr. 4 right between his eyes.

Mr. 4 yelled out in pain but the metal bat in his hands continued its course towards Zoro.

Zoro barely had time to cross his swords to defend against the strike. The four ton metal bat impacted against his swords, flinging the unfortunate swordsman away to the other side of the room.

Mr. 4 charged towards the groaning figure of Miss Merry Christmas, picking her up to sling her over his shoulder.

"Confounded Marines! You'll all regret this! We'll retreat for today!" Miss Merry Christmas yelled.

"No you won't!" Sanji kicked towards the pair again.

This time Mr. 4 managed to catch his kick with his bat, swinging the bat away from him in an arc to send the cook crashing towards Zoro as well.

Mr. 4 crashed through the doors leading to the balcony and leapt off without hesitation, carrying the cursing Miss Merry Christmas with him.

"They're getting away!" Sanji cursed, pushing himself up from the shattered wall.

"Let them go," Zoro groaned, rubbing his head. "We don't know if there are other agents around, we can't let our guard down right now… Someone go check on Vivi too..."

"I'll go!" Chopper transformed into his full reindeer form and galloped away down the corridor.

"So Crocodile's planning to do something with me after all…" Cobra frowned, stepping back into the room.

"Yeah… Sorry about your room," Sanji glanced at the shattered walls and broken furniture.

Cobra shook his head, "All of you have protected me from harm, it's more than what I could wish for. If I was alone tonight, no doubt I would have already fallen to Crocodile."

"Unfortunately, it's not good news for us," Zoro sighed, taking off his bandana from his head.

Everyone turned to look at him, wondering what he could mean.

Zoro looked at each man in the room carefully, "From this, we can conclude that Crocodile has already begun to move. We don't have the luxury of time anymore."

Sanji gritted his teeth, "Damn, is he going to rouse the rebel army?"

"That's… That's not very likely… He doesn't have a good enough motivation for them to launch a full scale assault…" Cobra scratched his chin.

"Another unlikely fact," Zoro grunted, pushing himself up from the floor. "I doubt those agents were here to kill you, it wouldn't be beneficial to Crocodile in any way."

"If they're not here to kill me, then what were they trying to do?" Cobra frowned.

"Kidnapping, of course," Sanji gritted his teeth. "They'll make you disappear, then replace you with the fake guy. With that agent acting as you, Crocodile would be able to use your name to instigate the rebels to launch a full scale attack in retaliation."

"This… Damn that man!" Cobra clutched his forehead.

"I guess we will have to prepare ourselves for the worst…" Usopp crossed his arms. "His plans should already be set in motion…"

"Wait, if those two are here to kidnap the king, then where's the agent that's supposed to replace him?" Sanji frowned.

Chopper burst into the room then, a look of panic on his face.

"Guys! Vivi and Nami, they're gone!"

"WHAT?!" All four yelled out at once.

"They left a note though…" Chopper handed a folded piece of paper to Cobra. "It was left on their bed."

As the king unfolded the note to read, he became increasingly agitated as time passed.

"What is it? What happened?" Zoro frowned, not liking where it was going.

Cobra clutched the paper tightly, crumpling it in his hands, "Why do I have such a selfless daughter…"

Tears began to leak out from the corners of his eyes as he turned towards the Marines, "She said that she will be going ahead to Kantorea with your navigator. She didn't want to put anyone else in danger anymore…"

"Vivi-chwan is so brave!" Sanji yelled, hearts appearing all over him.

"What do you want to do then?" Usopp tilted his head at the king.

Cobra hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the paper, "I won't allow her to face this war alone anymore, will you Marines accompany me to Kantorea as well?"

"You have our support," Zoro nodded firmly.

"Thank you, please help me wake Pell and Chaka up, tell them to be ready to leave in a few minutes," Cobra walked towards his wardrobe, throwing his cloak around his pajamas.

The four Marines raised an eyebrow at his choice of attire but said nothing, Usopp and Chopper already running out of the room to get the two Royal Guards captains.

* * *

On the sands a distance away from Alubarna, two cloaked figures rode on two Super Spot Billed Ducks.

"I'm sorry for dragging you along, Nami…" Vivi glanced at the navigator apologetically.

Nami flashed her a grin, "It's nothing, that's what friends do right? Besides, I had orders to keep you safe too."

Vivi couldn't help but smile back at her, "Thank you, I'm glad to have met you guys."

"Hehe, tell that to the rest after you finally stop this war, yeah?"

Vivi glanced back at the city that was now barely a speck on the horizon, "Sorry papa, I promise I'll stop this civil war once and for all."

Nami smiled at the princess's determination.

"Let's go, Carue!" Vivi hunched over the back of Carue, spurring him to run faster.

The two girls disappeared into the night.

* * *

On the other side of the island, three more cloaked figures rode on their own Super Spot Billed Ducks. Luffy rode in the middle while Hina flanked his right and Smoker his left.

They had reached the river in the evening just as the other two Marine ships docked, giving them a ride to the other side of the river before crossing back again.

The Captains had instructed their own crew to make haste towards the capital to lend their aid. No doubt if the war escalates, the king would need all the help he can get to evacuate the civilians.

"Luffy, what are you planning to do with Crocodile?" Smoker asked suddenly.

Luffy turned towards Smoker, giving him the look as though he had just asked something stupid, "Kick his ass of course."

Smoker sighed, "I meant really, you can't expect everything to be taken cared of just by kicking his ass right? I know how you're like during the officer training, you always had a plan no matter how simple it might be."

Luffy's face became serious, the earlier grin disappearing. Smoker leaned to him in an anticipation to catch his words.

"Kick his ass, stop the war," Luffy said simply.

Hina laughed while Smoker wrung his hands in the air.

"Alright, alright." Luffy chuckled, his serious face fading away. "Try to get Crocodile to cough up his plans in any way possible, we need to know what else he has planned."

"How, Luffy?" Hina tilted her head at him.

"Either by force, or to get him confident enough to do it," Luffy turned to focus on the road.

"What about the rebels? They might launch an attack while we're gone," Smoker narrowed his eyes.

Luffy grinned, "The king said so himself didn't he? They would head to Kantorea to pacify the rebels with the truth. If we play our hands right, we'll have Crocodile in custody and the end of the civil war by tomorrow."

"Hina impressed, to think back when you started out you could not even give any commands properly. You've grown, Luffy," Hina reached out to pull him into another hug.

"Hina! I'll fall!" Luffy wrung his hands as he made a frantic grab for the reins, pulling himself back into the saddle.

Smoker sighed, "We'll reach Rainbase by dawn, what shall be our approach?"

"The casino he owns does not allow Government agents to enter," Hina noted, looking down at their uniforms.

"We'll change our clothes and sneak in then," Smoker suggested helpfully, glancing at the Commodore for his opinions.

Luffy shook his head, "We don't have time, Crocodile might already be heading to Alubarna right now. We'll charge straight in and find out if he's still there, wring out the answers from him if he is or find any clues to his plans if he isn't."

"Understood," Both Marine Captains answered simultaneously.

All three Marines dug their heels into the Super Spot Billed Ducks' sides, urging them to run faster.

* * *

Meanwhile underneath Rainbase itself, Miss All Sunday sat on a plush leather couch, idly reading her book.

Crocodile sat a few feet away from her on another leather chair, sipping on his glass of wine as he watched his pet Bananawanis swimming around outside the room. A den den mushi sat on the table and a bunch of papers spread out in front of him, detailing of the Marines' departure to Rainbase.

"Miss All Sunday," Crocodile said suddenly.

The female looked up at him from her book, slight displeasure in her eyes.

"Those Marines will reach here by dawn, what do you propose we do?" Crocodile turned to look at her with cold eyes.

Miss All Sunday shrugged, "We could just leave now, they would reach here to find us already gone. Then with the destruction of this room, they would have no lead on our activities either."

"No, it's not time for us to move just yet. We have to leave in the afternoon to catch the show. Any earlier or later would throw our plans away," Crocodile frowned, sipping on his wine.

"What do you have in mind then?" Miss All Sunday raised an eyebrow at him.

Crocodile smiled wickedly, "I think I have just the thing planned for them, it would be so much more entertaining than just killing them."

"As you wish," Miss All Sunday shrugged, looking back to her book with disinterest. If he had already decided on what to do, why the hell was he bothering her about it?

Miss All Sunday sighed, he could be so narcissistic at times.

She looked up at the Shichibukai once more before glancing at the cage in the middle of the room, frowning slightly. She knew the Marines had already managed to take the princess back to her father, placing an efficient stopper on their plans.

With the information that the princess provides, the country will no doubt turn against their 'hero' Crocodile and clear the king's name. The civil war will be grounded to a halt and Crocodile will be chased out of the country with his status as a Warlord revoked. Miss All Sunday would definitely be on the run again.

She hoped she could at least take a glimpse of the poneglyph of this country before she runs again, but with the current situation, she finds it highly unlikely.

Perhaps if she asked nicely, that Marine with the straw hat might let her go. She wondered about that possibility, he didn't seem like other typical Marines. Though it seemed impossible at first, the more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

She shrugged her shoulders, deciding she would deal with it when the time comes, she had already prepared herself to be on the run again, after all.

All that's left is to wait for the main actors to take center stage.


	19. Chapter 19: To Stop A War

_A/N: I swear I outdid myself on this one. I spent the whole day doing nothing but writing this out for you guys, I'm actually quite surprised I could finish this one this fast actually.  
_

 _Anyway, for the bad news I mentioned... My country practices conscription of all able bodied men to serve in the army for two consecutive years once we're old enough. Unfortunately, I'm old enough and I'll be enlisting on the 13th of August, thus the Wednesday limit I gave myself last chapter.  
_

 _Good news is that I still **Might** be able to write while I'm in there albeit at a snail's pace... probably... I don't actually know if I actually have the time or even allowed to anyway... I'm sure some of you have noticed that I tried to keep a two chapter per week quota for myself ever since I started. Unfortunately with this army thing, I might only get to post one after a week or two, depending on what the army wants to do with me._

 _Another good news is that I really, really, really want to continue this story, I have a lot of things planned out that I want to have this Luffy to experience. Hell, he hasn't even gotten the Devil Fruit I plucked for him yet and I already replayed the scene where he gets it in my head so many times._

 _I know you guys probably heard this from plenty of other authors who promised that they will never abandon their work and then disappear forever after that, so I came up with this way to show that I'm still alive:_

 _Every few days that I can get online, I'll edit my profile with a brief summary on what I'm up to and how far done I am with the next update. So if you realize that my profile does not update after quite a long time with no explanation of my absence, just assume I died serving my country._

 _Anyway, I really want to thank you guys for following me for so long and giving me the support I needed to write this story. I really appreciate it and I hope you guys will continue to stick with me for the many more chapters to come._

 _As usual, enjoy and thank you! :D_

 _P.s. If you're wondering where I'm from, my country just recently celebrated it's 50th birthday. Kudos to anyone who knows and high five to anyone who are, were or will be in the same boat as me. :P_

* * *

"That's the casino," Hina pointed at the pyramid shaped building with a crocodile perched at the top.

The sun was just peeking out of the horizon as the three Marines made their way to the casino. The streets of the city was mostly empty this early in the morning but for the casino that was never closed, there was still a large group of people present.

"No doubt some of these guys are Baroque Works agents," Smoker frowned, watching the people milling around the casino with their heads held low.

"Any changes in plans?" Hina glanced at the Commodore.

"Negative, we storm in," Luffy grinned.

"Aye, aye" The two Captains grinned back in response, both of them cracking their knuckles.

Luffy kicked open the door to the casino unceremoniously, startling the patrons inside.

"CROCODILE! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" Luffy yelled.

Three burly guards immediately advanced towards them, barring their way.

"I'm sorry but you three will have to leave. No Marines are allowed here," The guard in the middle crossed his arms.

"Get out of our way," Smoker glared at the guard.

The guard shook his head with a wicked grin, "I'm afraid we can't do that, please remove yourselves from the premises."

"Crocodile is now suspected of illegal activities, to defend him would constitute you as a criminal as well. I suggest all of you to step down." Smoker furrowed his brows.

"Unfortunately, we still have our own job to do, members of the Government are barred from entering Rain Dinners," The guards remained where they were.

Hina sighed as she dropped low and swept her leg at the guards' feet, passing her leg through them.

The three guards only had time to squeak in surprise before they found themselves on the floor, both feet bound tightly with iron manacles.

"Hina victory," Hina grinned, making two peace signs with both hands.

"CROCODILE!" Luffy leapt over the struggling guards and charged into the casino.

Hina stepped on the middle guard before entering the casino without a second glance back, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"I warned you," Smoker frowned down at the guards, stepping over them to join the others.

By now, most of the patrons who had some sense had already decided to leave the casino before the situation got any worse. The assistant manager of the place was already wringing his hands in frustration as Luffy leapt over tables and patrons alike, shouting out for Crocodile.

He turned to the woman wearing the cowgirl outfit, desperation in his eyes, "What should we do miss Manager?"

Miss All Sunday stifled a laugh while watching the Straw hat Marine jump around the room, "Tell them that Crocodile will be waiting for them in the VIP room."

The assistant manager was taken aback by her words but scurried off to do as he was told.

He stood apprehensively in front of Hina, figuring she would have been a better choice to tell the news rather than the one that was wrecking the place, let alone the other one with a face that was glaring at everyone.

"Er… Miss Marine? Mr. Crocodile awaits all of you in the Vip room," he gestured to the grand door at the end of the room with the words "VIP" nailed above it.

"Luffy, Smoker-kun, we got our target," Hina called out to the other two, pointing towards the door with a thumb.

"Alright! Bring it on!" Luffy yelled, already charging straight for the door.

"Let's go," Smoker chased after him without hesitation.

"So hasty…" Hina sighed, running after them.

As they ran through the door and into the corridor, the path split itself in two with a sign board in the middle. An arrow pointed to the left with the words "VIP" written above it and another arrow pointed in the other direction with the words "Filthy Marines".

"Smoker, Hina, do I stink?" Luffy sniffed himself.

Both Marine Captains raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't smoke at all, did I?" Smoker frowned.

"You smell fine, Luffy," Hina tilted her head at him.

"Then I guess we're not 'Filthy Marines' are we?" Luffy pointed at the sign.

Hina laughed while Smoker just face palmed.

"This is a trap, obviously, what should we do?" Smoker glanced at both paths.

"Go straight into it of course, he was already expecting us, there's nothing else we can surprise him with right now," Luffy cracked his knuckles, running off to the direction the 'Filthy Marines' arrow pointed.

"Whatever you say, Luffy," Smoker sighed, chasing after the Commodore.

"Hina tired…" Hina sighed as she was stuck with chasing after the two Marines again.

They barely took five steps in before a trap door opened below their feet, plunging all three Marines into the cage right below them.

Hina groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground, "Hina embarrassed… I was already expecting a trap, but not a trap door of all things…"

"Tch… It's a cage made of Seastone…" Smoker frowned at the bars.

"CROCODILE!" Luffy yelled, spotting the Shichibukai sitting casually at the table at the other side of the bars.

"So you've come Marines, like I thought you would," Crocodile smirked, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.

"Crocodile… So is it true you are the one who perpetrated the civil war?" Hina glared at him.

"Black Cage Hina, how ironic for you to be the one stuck in the cage this time," Crocodile laughed.

Hina gritted her teeth in annoyance, crossing her arms at him.

"Answer the question you damn pirate," Smoker glared at him.

"Kuhahaha! Yes, yes, it's all true of course, I was the one who made the people rebel against their king. But that should be the least of your troubles, shouldn't it?" Crocodile laughed.

"What? You think we can't get out of this cage?" Luffy huffed.

"Kuhahaha! The whole cage is made of Seastone! You Devil Fruit users will never escape out of there! In a few moments I will leave this place for Alubarna while this room completely self destructs, taking you three along with it!"

The three glanced at each other. Luffy was the only one among them that didn't have a Devil Fruit power, why did he assume all of them had one? They shrugged and decided to just play along with it as their advantage for now.

"You won't get away with this, the princess has already brought news of your treachery to the king," Hina watched him carefully.

Crocodile stood up and walked in front of their cage, a wicked smirk on his face, "Oh, I've already prepared something for that. I believe you've already met my dear colleague, Mr. 2?"

"What about it?" Smoker glared at him.

"He will be the one who shall instigate the rebels to launch a full scale rebellion by today, long before the princess or the king can get this news out to their people." Crocodile smirked wickedly.

"What do you even plan on achieving?" Luffy clenched his fists.

"Kuhahahaha! Well, since you're all going to die anyway, I'll let you die knowing how much you failed to protect anything by coming here," Crocodile threw his head back to drain the last of his wine, tossing the empty glass over his shoulder.

"In a few moments, Mr. 2 will impersonate the king and antagonize the rebels, my agents infiltrated among the rebels would also make sure to rouse them enough to launch a full scale assault on the capital. That's where the fun starts."

Crocodile lit a cigar and puffed at them, causing Luffy to recoil to the back of the cage in disgust. Crocodile smirked at his reaction while Hina and Smoker stood protectively in front of Luffy, hiding him from view.

"As you might have guessed, I want this country for myself, but it wouldn't do if there's still people who want to free this country walking around, would it?" Crocodile pinched his finger and thumb on his right hand suggestively.

"You wouldn't…" Hina narrowed her eyes at him.

"Kuhahaha! I would!" Crocodile swept his arm in an exaggerated arc.

"Everyone who gathers at the palace will die today! I have already prepared a big enough bomb that will be shot from the clocktower once the rebels are close enough! Even the Marines that you've brought here will perish! Once everyone is dead, I can just tell the World Government that all of you had died in this petty civil war and I had no relation to Baroque Works from the start!" Crocodile laughed maniacally.

"You would kill so many people just to get a single country? What do you seek to gain from a country that has been destroyed?!" Hina furrowed her brows.

"Countries can be rebuilt, and I will rebuild it with my own hands as the new king of Alabasta! Don't you see? All of you were doomed the moment you decided to help this worthless country!"

"Mr. 0," A voice called out from the stairs that led away from the room.

Everyone turned to see Miss All Sunday descending the steps slowly, joining Crocodile at his side.

"We can leave now, Mr. 2 has already begun his mission with the rebels."

"Good," Crocodile turned back to the trapped Marines with a smirk. "Well sorry I couldn't keep you guys company any longer, but I think my pets would make great company too in my absence," Crocodile snapped his fingers and a few Bananawanis entered the room, growling at the cage. A part of the floor exploded upwards as well, sending a geyser of water spewing out to flood the room.

"You, you're a wanted criminal yourself…" Hina narrowed her eyes at Miss All Sunday, recognizing her.

Miss All Sunday smiled at her, "I see my secret got found out after all, if it isn't too much to ask, please forget about my presence here."

"What are you doing siding with Crocodile? I can't see you gaining anything," Smoker crossed his arms.

"My protection from you dirty Marines of course, outlaws like us have to stick together after all! Kuhahahaha!" Crocodile turned his back on them, walking towards a tunnel at the other side of the room. "Now please, do enjoy all the water I can offer to you."

Miss All Sunday stole a glance at the Straw Hat Marine, she still hasn't forgotten their exchange on board their ship.

She looked over her shoulder to see Crocodile already at the entrance of the tunnel, not even looking back at them as he continued laughing to himself.

"Do you still think you can beat Crocodile?" Miss All Sunday looked pointedly at Luffy.

"Of course! I'll break out of here in no time!" Luffy grinned confidently.

"Good, it took a while for me to make up a Devil Fruit power for you to convince Crocodile," Miss All Sunday grinned with a glint in her eyes.

Hina raised an eyebrow, "Why would you do that?"

"So that you guys can escape of course, if you need proof of his treachery, all the papers you need are on the table in the office. It's through the door on the right of the staircase and inside a file."

Miss All Sunday turned her back on them and walked off, not waiting for a reply.

"What the hell just happened?" Smoker frowned.

"I promised her I'll help her kick Crocodile's ass!" Luffy laughed. "She's not a bad girl after all!"

Hina sighed at the Commodore's innocence, "On a more important matter, how are we getting out of here? This whole cage is made of Seastone…"

"Hina and I are useless in here, Luffy," Smoker nodded.

They turned just as a huge Bananawani chomped its jaws down on the cage, only for its teeth to shatter without leaving a mark on the cage walls.

Luffy glanced around the room, finding it empty except for the Bananawanis that were currently growling at them.

"These walls are harder than diamond, you think you can break us out?" Smoker glanced at Luffy.

Luffy placed his hand on one part of the wall, closing his eyes. He listened intently to the voice of the wall, opening his eyes when he finally found the spot he wanted.

"Not every part of it is made of Seastone," Luffy grinned.

He walked to the side of the wall, lowering himself down to a stance and pulling his fist back.

Without any warning, he punched his haki coated fist at the wall, creating a small circular hole where his fist had landed. Luffy stood aside to reveal his handiwork proudly to his colleagues.

Smoker sighed, "Er… Yeah, Luffy… Hate to break it to you… But I don't think any of us can fit through that…"

"Yes, Smoker, I can break diamonds, Grandpa taught me how to," Luffy grinned just as the wall behind completely collapsed to a pile of rubble.

"Have more faith in him, Smoker-kun," Hina laughed. "Now let's get the papers and go, we already got what we came here for!"

"Ri… Right," Smoker finally closed his gaping mouth to follow the two out of the cage.

"Should we use the tunnel to escape as well?" Hina looked up at Luffy who had just roundhouse kicked a Bananawani to the far end of the room.

"If that tunnel leads to Alubarna, I guess it'll be faster for us to take it rather than running back." Luffy grinned, landing on his feet with a flourish, prepared to face the next one that came charging at him.

"I got the papers, it was all neatly filed too, like it was prepared for us or something…" Smoker frowned at the papers he held in his hand.

"It seems she was already expecting us… This still seems too convenient…" Hina took the papers from Smoker, flipping through them.

It contained details on each and every one of Baroque Works' plans, their movements, their actions and especially Crocodile's involvement. It was all the proof they need to bring him to justice.

"That woman did this, didn't she?" Hina looked up at Luffy as he threw a Bananawani over his shoulders to crash into another of its brethren.

He shrugged, "I only know she doesn't like him either."

"I don't like **this** , getting help from a criminal of all people," Smoker crossed his arms.

"We'll talk about that later, unless you guys can swim out of here?" Luffy pointed at the increasing water level, all the Bananawanis crumpled in an unconscious heap at one end of the room.

"Tch, let's get out of here!" Smoker led the way to the tunnel, followed closely behind by Hina and laughing Luffy.

* * *

Vivi and Nami arrived at Kantorea just as the sun was beginning to set. Vivi charged straight into the town, frantically looking around the place for her childhood friend and leader of the rebellion.

"Kohza!" Vivi shouted frantically, swivelling her head around the rebel base to search for him.

"Isn't that princess Vivi?" A rebel nudged another.

"Princess Vivi?"

"I thought she was missing?"

"What is she doing here?"

"She's looking for Leader."

Vivi stopped Carue in front of a group of rebels who still had their mouths agape from seeing her among them.

"Where is Kohza? Please, I need to talk to him," Vivi pleaded.

"Lead… Leader went to Nanohana…" One of them stuttered helpfully.

"What?! Why would he be there?!" Vivi frowned.

"The king showed up there a few moments ago, apparently he was apologizing for stealing our rain…"

"No…" Vivi frowned. "That definitely isn't my father!"

She reined Carue around, dashing out of the town towards Nanohana, Nami following closely behind.

"Don't tell me… That's the fake?" Nami asked, catching up to her.

Vivi gritted her teeth, nodding her head, "My father would never do this… This is definitely Mr. 2 impersonating as my father right now! I need to stop him before he does any more damage!"

Just as the two girls disappeared into the horizon to the confusion of the rebels, Pell descended from the sky and landed in a cloud of dust.

"Where's princess Vivi?!" He demanded from the rebels.

"Pell… Pell the Falcon…" The rebels gasped.

"She… She just went to Nanohana…" A rebel pointed in the direction of the dust cloud the ducks were kicking up.

Pell frowned, "Why would she be headed there?"

"The… The king is there too…" Another rebel stuttered, still not comprehending what was going on.

"What?! Impossible! The king is travelling here right now!" Pell furrowed his brows.

He turned back into his falcon form and flew back to the direction where he had came from, searching for the king's entourage.

As he thought, there was another cloud of dust quite a distance away heading straight for Kantorea. He was sent by the king to fly ahead of them to make sure Vivi was safe, now he knew Crocodile had already put his plans into motion.

Pell flew back to the group of horses that were galloping with all their might towards Kantorea, calling out to them with a screech.

"Where's Vivi, Pell?" Cobra shouted up at him.

"She has left for Nanohana! Your imposter is there as well! We have to hurry!"

Zoro cursed under his breath, "We're too late huh…"

"No! We can still make it to contain the damage! This war must not escalate any further! Turn towards Nanohana!" Cobra yelled.

The group reined in their horses and redirected them towards Nanohana.

"Pell! Make sure Vivi is safe!" Cobra shouted at the flying falcon.

"As you command!" Pell disappeared back into the sky with a mighty flap of his wings, speeding towards Nanohana.

"We'll expose that imposter if we can catch him there, once everyone knows there's a fake king, this civil war will definitely end!" Chaka gritted his teeth.

Cobra sighed, "If only it were that easy, I can only hope that the people's hatred of me does not run as deep as I fear."

"It's alright, we'll definitely convince the people of the truth!" Usopp gave the king a thumbs up.

"Not if we can help it!" A figure jumped out from the sand, lunging towards the king.

"Watch out!" Chopper leapt up from his horse, turning into his human reindeer form.

He shoulder tackled Miss Merry Christmas away, both of them tumbling on to the sand.

At the same time, Mr. 4 appeared from beneath the sand, holding a large cannon on his shoulders and taking aim at the king.

"Not on my watch!" Sanji leapt from his horse towards the king just as Mr. 4 fired his cannon.

He kicked the cannon ball away with ease, landing on the sand with a flourish.

"Go! We'll take care of them!" Chopper and Sanji shouted back.

Zoro and Usopp both gave them a thumbs up before concentrating on following the king.

"What troublesome Marines! Because of you, we failed our mission!" Miss Merry Christmas yelled.

"That's too bad for you then, we'll not have it any other way. You guys have hurt Vivi-chan enough," Sanji lit a cigarette.

"We will not let you pass!" Chopper stood beside Sanji, trying to be as intimidating as possible.

"Who the hell do you guys think you are to stand against Baroque Works?!" Miss Merry Christmas frowned at them.

"We're Marines," Both Sanji and Chopper grinned confidently.

"Whatever! We'll get rid of both of you and then catch up to the king again!" Miss Merry Christmas burrowed back into the ground.

"What the hell is she?" Sanji frowned.

Chopper looked around him, finally noticing the holes that were spread out all over the place, "She's definitely a Devil Fruit user… There's holes all over the ground."

"That Mr. 4 is gone too…" Sanji gritted his teeth.

A dog popped out from the ground suddenly, snot dripping out of his nose while he stared at them.

"A dog? Where did that come from?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

Just as they puzzled over the sudden appearance of the dog, it sneezed at them and a ball shot out from its mouth, flying towards them.

"That's a baseball isn't it?" Chopper frowned.

"Looks like it," Sanji nodded his head.

As the baseball neared them, Chopper pushed Sanji away without warning, leaping clear of the baseball.

"What the hell? Chopper?!" Sanji protested.

"I smell gunpowder in that ball! It's a bomb!"

As if on cue, the ball exploded at where the two had been standing before, sending balls of fire in every direction.

"Not bad avoiding that one, but you won't have a chance anymore!" Miss Merry Christmas popped her head up from the ground.

The dog sneezed again, sending the ball flying straight at them once more.

Both Marines jumped out in opposite directions, letting the ball sail past them. Before they could rejoice, Mr. 4 popped out from the hole in front of the ball with his metal bat, swinging it in an arc to hit the ball back at Chopper.

"Chopper!" Sanji barely had time to shout a warning as the ball exploded right in front of the doctor, enveloping him flames.

Sanji made a dash for him just as he spotted another ball heading straight for him from the corner of his eye. He leapt out in front to avoid it, rolling on the ground as the ball exploded behind him. He reached Chopper just as the doctor pushed himself up, bleeding in a few places but relatively ok.

The dog sneezed again, both Marines turning to spot the ball headed towards them.

"Don't underestimate me! I just have to take out the dog!" Sanji jumped up and kicked at the ball, sending it flying back.

The dog immediately dived back down into the hole before it was captured in the explosion.

"Those balls are heavy!" Sanji shook his leg. "Those are definitely not normal bombs!"

"What should we do?" Chopper glanced up at Sanji.

Sanji frowned, "We just need to make sure we keep them here long enough for the king to reach there safely… But I don't like getting pummeled either… You got a plan, Chopper?"

Chopper scratched his chin for a moment before bringing out a small yellow gum ball for Sanji to see.

"This is a medicine that I managed to create by accident, it allows me to transform to even more forms. One of it will allow me to scope out their weakness but I will need time to find it. The effects will only last three minutes though," Chopper said quickly.

Sanji grinned, "So I just have to cover you until you're done, right?"

Chopper nodded, swallowing the ball.

"Leave it to me!" Sanji narrowed his eyes at the holes in the ground.

" **Rumble: Brain Point!** "

Chopper shrunk back to his half reindeer size, pushing his hooves in front of him to form a triangular scope.

"I don't know what you're doing, but I won't let you finish it!" Miss Merry Christmas jumped out from a hole near them. She had increased her size by two times while her mouth was elongated into a snout. The place where her fingers were had also transformed into sharp claws.

"Is that a penguin?" Chopper widened his eyes.

"I'm a mole! I ate the Mogu Mogu Fruit and became a mole human!" Miss Merry Christmas yelled indignantly.

She lunged towards Chopper with her claws but Sanji stood in her way, kicking up to block her slash.

"I don't usually hurt ladies, but you most definitely don't look like a lady to me you penguin!" Sanji smirked.

"I'm a mole!" Miss Merry Christmas lashed out at Sanji who easily ducked under her blow.

Miss Merry Christmas cursed as she dived back into one of the holes. The dog and Mr. 4 appeared again from different holes.

The dog sneezed again and this time a whole bunch of balls came flying out of its mouth at once.

"Shit…." Sanji stared at the balls flying towards them.

"Sanji!" Chopper glanced back at the cook.

"Just concentrate on what you can do! Trust me to protect you!" Sanji yelled back.

Chopper nodded and resumed his 'scoping'.

" **Party Table Kick Course!** "

Sanji got down on his hands and begun spinning, kicking out his legs at the balls that came flying over away from them.

Mr. 4 however had ducked back down into his hole and appeared near the balls that were kick off course to hit them back towards them.

Sanji cursed under his breathe as he spun faster, frantically kicking away the balls again as they got close again.

"Sanji! I got it! All the holes are connected to each other!" Chopper yelled out suddenly.

"Good job!" Sanji grinned, pushing himself up into the air before he started to kick the bombs back into the holes instead.

"Chopper, get down!" Sanji landed back on the ground before shielding the doctor from the ensuing explosion that blasted out from all the mole hills, sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.

"You think that got them?" Chopper stood up carefully, changing back to his half human form.

"You bastards…" Miss Merry Christmas walked out from the dust slightly burnt but still standing.

"Fo…." Mr. 4 frowned at them.

"Now you've made us mad! I'll show you what happens when you mess with Baroque Works!" Miss Merry Christmas dived back down into the sand again, clawing her way towards the two Marines.

Sanji leapt in front of Chopper to kick at the mole that was in the ground but she dove back under before he could land a hit, appearing underneath Chopper.

"Got you!" Miss Merry Christmas yelled triumphantly as she latched a hand on both of Chopper's legs.

Chopper barely had time to yell in surprise as she started dragging him back the way she came where Mr. 4 was standing with his bat ready.

"Chopper!" Sanji started running towards them but Miss Merry Christmas was moving faster than him. Chopper could only watch in horror as he got closer and closer to Mr. 4, their intentions were clear as day.

" **Molehill Fourth Road Intersection!** "

Mr. 4 swung his bat at Chopper's head just as Miss Merry Christmas reached them, only to feel absolutely no impact on the bat.

Miss Merry Christmas looked up in confusion and realized the previously big sized Chopper had shrunk himself back down to his small size, allowing him to avoid the bat swing.

"Almost forgot I could do this…" Chopper wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Now, Chopper!" Sanji leaped towards Mr. 4 while Chopper changed back to his human form.

Chopper reached down with a hand to grab Miss Merry Christmas before throwing her up in the air, screaming.

" **Rumble: Arm Point.** "

Chopper's arms and shoulders increased heavily in muscle mass while his hands transformed back into hooves.

Sanji started flipping over rapidly to gain speed as he fell towards the still confused Mr. 4, Miss Merry Christmas was flailing her arms in the air near him as she fell back down towards the ground. Chopper himself pulled his muscled arms behind him, standing at the place where Miss Merry Christmas would fall.

" **Concasse!** "

Sanji brought the heel of his foot down on Mr. 4's head with a satisfying crack, sending the shockwave through his whole body.

" **Kokutei Cross!** "

Chopper punched out his two arms towards the falling Miss Merry Christmas, his hoofs split apart to form an X shape imprint on her abdomen.

Sanji flipped back to land beside Chopper as Mr. 4 collapsed on top of the dog, squashing it underneath his huge body. Moments later, the unconscious form of Miss Merry Christmas fell out from the sky, impacting on the ground in a cloud of dust.

"Well done," Sanji grinned.

"Praising me won't make me happy you know?! Jackass!" Chopper turned back to his small form and started dancing happily.

Sanji grinned as he took another puff of his cigarette, "Let's go meet the others."

* * *

Kohza stared at the scene in front of him with disbelief, he never thought he would ever see this day. The king had just gave out the order to burn the port town to the ground and the soldiers immediately started breaking down the stalls and wrecking the houses, kicking away anyone who tried to stop them.

"It's a because of you my town has dried up! If only you don't exist!" A small child shouted at the king, a hammer held in his hand.

The king looked down at him with disdain as the child ran towards him, swinging his hammer wildly.

The king pulled his leg back and kicked the child across the face with no remorse, sending him sprawling a few feet away on the floor.

Everyone of the villagers gasped while a woman went to the boy.

"I'll kill you!" The boy shouted again, struggling against the woman who was restraining him.

There was no regrets in the king's eyes as he watched his men wreck the town.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, COBRA?!" Kohza couldn't hold it back anymore, advancing towards the king furiously.

"I've come to apologize of course," The king said simply.

"Shut up! What you're doing is insulting to everyone who believed you were innocent!" Kohza pointed an accusing finger at him.

The king stretched out his hands, gesturing to the town around him, "This drought was all caused by me, I was the one responsible for all the suffe-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Kohza ran to grab the king but was stopped by several Royal Guards who held him back.

"So many of us died still believing in you! They had never once suspected you of doing all those things! Don't you dare think you can defile the memory of those who died!" Kohza cried out at the man.

"KOHZA!" A feminine voice shouted out from behind him.

Kohza shuddered, he would never mistake this voice for anyone else but her.

"Vivi?" Kohza turned, staring up at the princess who was riding towards him as fast as she could.

"Get away from there!" She yelled.

Kohza stood rooted in shock, he remembered that the princess was still missing not so long ago, why was she here then?

Before he could decide on what to do, a gunshot rang out from his left as pistol discharged its round at Vivi, hitting her in the shoulder and throwing her off Carue.

"VIVI!" Kohza yelled, running towards where she had fallen.

Nami leapt off her own duck and knelt beside the princess, cradling her in her arms.

"I'm fine!" Vivi cried, clutching at her bleeding shoulder.

Kohza looked down at the girl, frowning, "You're not fine! You got shot!"

Everyone turned towards the king who held a smoking pistol in his hands.

"WHY DID YOU SHOOT HER?!" Kohza demanded, standing in front of Vivi to shield her from the king.

"Because he's a fake!" Vivi yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. "That king in front of you is a fake that the Shichibukai Crocodile has placed to spark off this civil war! We have been fighting a meaningless war from the start!"

Kohza turned his head to look at her, taking a step back in shock.

"You accursed girl…" The fake king frowned at her.

He pointed the pistol at her again, cocking the gun as everyone was still reeling in from Vivi's words.

Another gunshot rang out as the gun was fired again.

There was a loud screech in the sky as Pell descended from above, landing right in front of Vivi and deflecting the bullet with his sword.

"Princess Vivi! You're hurt!" Pell glared at the fake group of Royal Guards.

"I'm fine, Pell, what are you doing here?!" Vivi demanded.

"The king was attacked last night, then we found your letter and followed you here," Pell stood protectively in front of her, watching the fake king carefully.

"Pa… Papa was attacked?!" Vivi gasped.

"Where is he?" Nami frowned.

Pell furrowed his brows as all the fake Royal Guards began surrounding the fake king, "His Majesty is on his way here right now, we're here to stop this civil war with you!"

"Wait… No… You're saying… That all of this… This war… Everything… Was all a set up?" Kohza breathed, not believing his ears.

"Oh phooie, and I thought I could finish this without killing everyone," The fake king sighed, touching his face with his left hand to change back to Mr. 2.

Every villager gasped at the sight, shocked that the king in front of them had just changed into an okama.

"You… Who are you?!" Kohza demanded, drawing out his sword from his back.

"Just a passing okama!" Mr. 2 sang happily, doing a ballerina twirl on the spot.

"Kohza," Vivi gasped, standing up on unsteady legs. "Everything was set up by Crocodile, we have to stop the war."

Kohza frowned at the okama, "I understand now, Vivi… I was wrong…"

"Oh poonsies, because of this, I have to kill all of you now to cover up my failure. Maybe your deaths would be a better catalyst to escalate the war, what do you think, men?" Mr. 2 laughed.

"Great idea, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei!" The fake guards shouted in unison.

All of them drew their rifles to point at the small group in front of them.

"Pell! Take them and leave! The princess has to live!" Kohza yelled, stepping in front of the Royal Guard Captain.

"No! I won't leave without you, Kohza!" Vivi protested.

"There's no time, Vivi!" Kohza yelled, charging towards the guards.

" **Exploding Star!** " Usopp yelled, releasing a bunch of exploding bullets towards the guards.

Each of his bullets hit their rifles with precision, shattering their guns in their hands.

"Vivi! What's going on here?! You're hurt!" Cobra rode into the square on his horse.

"King Cobra!"

"Your Majesty!"

"So it's true!"

"We trusted you all this time!"

The villagers cried out.

"Papa!" Vivi ran to her father.

"The king is here?! That means Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas failed!" Mr. 2 cursed. "All my great acting for nothing!"

Zoro, Usopp and Chaka drew out their weapons and charged the fake guards alongside Kohza, subduing them easily before they could even make sense of what had happened.

"Give it up, Mr. 2, your organization's plans were doomed to fail." Usopp aimed his slingshot at him.

"You're the Marines I met… How cruel fate is…" Mr. 2 wiped the tears away sadly. "It seems we cannot avoid fighting each other."

"Kohza, I beg of you, we need to stop this meaningless war," Vivi grasped at Kohza's hand.

Kohza hesitated, glancing back at the others who stood to protect them.

"Go! We'll take care of them, save your country!" Nami shouted at them, standing beside her crew to face Mr. 2.

Vivi nodded quickly, dragging off a protesting Kohza and Cobra after her to Kantorea.

"You guys aren't going?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at Chaka and Pell.

Chaka transformed into his half jackal form, "We shall not rest until we bring the people who dared harm our country to justice."

"And here I wondered what kept you from giving us the signal to do our job," A woman with curly blue hair sashayed into the square.

Followed closely behind her was a tanned man who wore a sleeveless dark coat that bared his muscular chest with a white sash tied over his pants. He had an extremely displeased look on his face as he saw the state of the square.

"Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger," Mr. 2 looked at the two with disdain.

"Such incompetence, Mr. 2… Couldn't you take care of one measly job?" Mr. 1 frowned at the Marines that stood in front of them.

"It's not my fault Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas failed theirs!" Mr. 2 protested, puffing his chest.

Mr. 1 sighed, cracking his knuckles, "I guess we'll just have to finish them off ourselves."

"Pell, Chaka! Evacuate the civilians! We will hold them off!" Zoro tied his bandana on his head.

"We can't let you fight them alone!" Chaka protested.

"Your country's people are more important! Get them to safety!" Nami smacked the two Royal Guard Captains on their backs.

Pell frowned, "We'll rejoin you when we can."

Both Royal Guard Captains started herding the villagers away from the square towards safety.

"Give… Give it up Baroque Works! You have failed!" Usopp pointed a finger at them.

"We'll make this quick, there's still time to salvage this," Mr. 1 sighed, scratching his shaven head.

"And I wanted to play with them a little too," Miss Doublefinger smirked.

"The big guy," Zoro bit down on the sword in his mouth.

"The bitch," Nami stuck her tongue out.

"Mr. 2…" Usopp frowned.

Both sides charged at each other amidst the rubble of the town.


	20. Chapter 20: To End A War

_A/N: Hey guys, really sorry this chapter took so long. Back then I had about two to three days to write out a chapter but now I only have about four to five hours a week to write, and every time I have to go back and re-familiarize myself again. Anyway, for those that are curious, I have to serve two years in the army with about half a year spent in learning basic military stuff (Shooting, drills. grenade, etc.) before they post me to a station for the rest of my time there._

 _Anyway, a big thanks for sticking by me all this while and I do apologize that updates are really slow now..._

 _Enjoy as always! :D_

* * *

 _A few hours before Luffy sets off to find Crocodile_

"Hey Nami," Usopp knocked lightly on their Navigator's room.

When no response came, Usopp knocked again, a little louder this time.

There was a soft bump before a muffled "What is it?" can be heard from the other side of the door.

Usopp scratched his head, not sure if coming so early was a good idea, "I got the thing you wanted ready, you might want to take a look at it."

Nami flung the door open without warning, panting as though she had just ran a marathon, startling Usopp.

"Where is it? Let me see!" Nami squealed excitedly, reaching both her hands out to receive it.

Usopp sighed as he pulled out three metal rods from his bag, handling them with extra care. He brought up each one to show her before placing them in her hands.

"This one produces a cold air bubble when you blow into it, this one would produce a hot one, and this one makes a bubble with a little bit of electrical discharge," Usopp explained. "I call it the Clima-tact."

"Thanks Usopp! Now I don't need to feel so useless anymore!" Nami grinned, eyeing her new weapon excitedly.

Usopp wagged a finger at her as a warning, "I would advise you test them out first before using them, I don't actually know how to use them practically myself…"

"Hehe, alright, alright," Nami grinned, closing the door on him.

Usopp scratched his chin, he wondered why Nami's hair seemed to be a little messier than usual and her clothes seemed a little bit off but quickly decided it wasn't his problem.

* * *

Nami took out her new weapon from underneath her cloak, grasping two parts of it in her right hand while the last one was held in her left.

"Nami! Cover!" Zoro grunted, swinging both his swords in an arc.

"Usopp, I need some fire!" Nami shouted at the sniper while Zoro rushed ahead to meet the charging Mr. 1.

"You got it! **Flame Star!** " Usopp fired a flaming bullet towards Mr. 1 that exploded outwards in a wall of flames.

Mr. 1 emerges from the flames unscathed, brushing away the embers as though they were nothing, not slowing down his charge towards the Marines.

"Today's forecast, a little bit of fog," Nami smirked, swinging the staff that created cold air bubbles towards the fire.

Almost instantly, a huge cloud of fog covered the entire square, blanketing everyone in the white mist.

"How troublesome, but you guys can't see us either, right?" Miss Doublefinger smirked, readying herself for any surprise attacks.

"Usopp! I need a guide!" Zoro yelled over his shoulder, disappearing into the mist where Mr. 1 was last spotted.

Usopp grinned as he pulled down his goggles, adjusting its magnification to focus on the shadowy figures deep within the mist.

" **Egg Star!** " Usopp released three projectiles one after the other in rapid succession, hitting all three of his targets with deadly accuracy.

"Oh phooie! What is this repulsive odour?!" Mr. 2 yelled out indignantly, trying his best to flick off the offending liquid.

Zoro grinned as he closed his eyes, fully concentrating on his sense of smell. He knew Luffy could navigate through this fog without a hitch, but he was not at that level himself yet.

He lashed out the sword on his right towards the man he knew that was in front of him. Zoro frowned when his sword met with resistance.

"Your killing intent is too obvious," Mr. 1 huffed. "Even if I can't see you, I can still feel where your attacks are coming from."

Zoro furrowed his brows, "You blocked my sword, are you a swordsman too?"

Mr. 1 let out a smirk, "hardly, I just ate the Supa Supa fruit... I'm a blade man."

"A man that can deflect my swords with his body, how interesting," Zoro grinned, pushing himself away from Mr. 1.

"You may be better than the average Marine, but unless you can cut through iron, you will never be able to leave a scratch me," Mr. 2 stretched out his arms in a gesture.

Zoro drew out his last sword to put in his mouth, "I accept that challenge."

The Marine swordsman lunged forward again, slashing out all his swords at the agent. Sparks could be seen flying in the fog every time the two clashed against each other.

"Mr. 2!" Usopp shouted from the roof of a building. He had taken advantage of the earlier confusion to sneak himself to a better vantage point.

Mr. 2 looked up, barely able to make out Usopp's figure through the fog.

"I do not wish to fight you, but I will if you continue to resist! Please surrender!" Usopp aimed his slingshot at Mr. 2, it was clear he had no desire to fight one whom he had thought was a friend.

"It is regretful, but we both stand on two different sides! Even the power of friendship cannot prevent this encounter! I'm afraid we will have to fight!" Mr. 2 yelled back, leaping up from the fog.

Usopp gritted his teeth and released a lead ball towards Mr. 2.

Mr. 2 twirls in the air like a dancer would and kicked the projectile away, taking another leap towards Usopp.

Usopp frowns and releases a torrent of exploding stars at Mr. 2, exploding against his kicks and sending him back into the fog.

"That's dirty!" Mr. 2 whined.

Usopp loaded his slingshot without hesitation, "All is fair in war... Even if we may be friends, I won't allow you to continue to harm this country!"

Mr. 2 frowned, "So be it, we shall fight for our own beliefs!"

Mr. 2 tried to kick towards Usopp again but Usopp manages to keep him from reaching the roof with his barrage.

"So it looks like it's you and me," Miss Doublefinger smirked, appearing a few feet in front of Nami.

Nami held her staff confidently, swinging it in between them, "It seems so, but you should take care not to underestimate me."

Miss Doublefinger let out a laugh, "What can you do? You're just a powerless girl!"

"I was," Nami corrected. "I didn't join the Marines to stay weak, I have things I want to protect now."

"Big words from someone with no power!" Miss Doublefinger lunged towards Nami without warning, spikes protruding out from her hands to stab at her.

Miss Doublefinger laughed triumphantly when the spikes pierced through Nami's head, shoulder and abdomen.

The joy was cut short when Nami immediately fizzled out of existence.

"I told you not to underestimate me," Nami wagged her finger at the agent.

"You... What Devil Fruit is that?" Miss Doublefinger glared at Nami.

Nami grinned, "I don't need a Devil Fruit to beat you."

Miss Doublefinger hissed at the Marine and lunged at her again, going for a spiked shoulder tackle.

She gasped when her tackle met with no resistance as the Marine fizzled out right before her eyes again, sending her sprawling on to the ground.

"That's an interesting ability you have, it's the spike thing fruit, isn't it? I did some research about it," Nami grinned, appearing behind her again.

"What manner of witchcraft is this?" Miss Doublefinger clenched her fists.

Nami let out a small pout, "It's not witchcraft you uncultured girl, it's using the weather as your weapon."

Nami swung her staff in an arc and the fog seemed to thicken around Miss Doublefinger, hiding Nami from view.

"You told me not to underestimate you, perhaps you should do the same!" Miss Doublefinger yelled, crouching down on the ground and flinging her arms wide.

Spikes exploded out from her body in all directions, piercing through everything around her.

"At least one of these would hit you!" Miss Doublefinger yelled triumphantly.

There was a soft giggle that came from her left.

"I already told you I already know about your ability, you can't really surprise me anymore." Nami laughed, standing a few inches away from the spikes.

Vivi had given her all the information she had gathered about the other agents before. Nami herself had also managed to get her hands on a book that detailed about most known Devil Fruits. She knew the approximate range of Miss Doublefinger's spikes and their strengths and weaknesses.

Nami swung her staff once more, gathering a bunch of cold and hot air bubbles around her. The fog thickened before slowly lifting up into the air, briefly granting Miss Doublefinger a glance of Nami.

"What is it now? Giving up?" Miss Doublefinger retracted her spikes before standing up.

"Hardly," Nami smirked. "Have you ever been struck by lightning?"

Miss Doublefinger raised an eyebrow at the sudden question, "Can't say I have..."

"Then you can say you do now," Nami grinned, tossing the last part of her staff in the air.

Miss Doublefinger watched the staff disappear into the cloud that formed above her head with a gasp, watching the cloud turn into a menacing black.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, a bolt of lightning flashed down towards her. Miss Doublefinger screamed as she felt millions of volts of electricity course through her body, frying her afro to stand on end.

Miss Doublefinger collapsed on to the floor after a while, smoke drifting out from her mouth.

"That's one down," Nami grinned, catching her falling staff with a flourish, giving a mock curtsy towards her imaginary audience.

She turned her head to see how the others were doing, the fog had already dissipated when she had used it to form her clouds.

Zoro and Mr. 1 were still locked in combat, both of them trying to cut each other with little success. Usopp was still stuck on the rooftop but Mr. 2 had no way to reach him without being hit by the multiple projectiles Usopp shot his way.

Zoro raised the sword in his right hand just in time to catch the falling left arm of Mr. 1, pushing the agent's slash away from him. He furrowed his brows as he leapt back immediately when Mr. 1 kicked his right foot upwards in an attempt to cut across his chest, missing by mere inches.

Zoro slashed out both swords in his hands at Mr. 1's unprotected back, grunting in frustration as his swords bounced off harmlessly on his back.

"You might as well just give up, Marine," Mr. 1 said offhandedly as he kicked towards Zoro again. "You're only wasting both our time."

Zoro said nothing as he ducked under the kick, slashing at the agent's other leg, still unsuccessful in cutting him.

Zoro leapt backwards just as Mr. 1 brought his leg down to smash into the ground where Zoro had been moments before. He cracked his knuckles as he stared down the Marine with disdain, "Enough with your pathetic struggling, unless you can cut through iron, you can never hurt me."

Zoro gritted his teeth as he held his swords by his side, glaring at the man standing before him.

' _Damn it, what was this breath thing that Luffy was talking about again?_ '

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _Oi, Luffy," Zoro called out to the Commodore that sat on the figurehead of Merry without a care in the world._

 _Luffy tilted his head back to look at his swordsman with a quizzical stare._

" _How did you even find us in the middle of all that steam?" Zoro leaned against the railing, crossing his arms. "Is it another one of that haki thing?"_

 _Luffy let out a huge grin as he chuckled, "Yep! It's called Observation haki! It lets you see the breath of all things!"_

" _Breath of all things?" Zoro tilted his head at the Commodore._

" _Uh-huh, everything has its own breath that you can find with Observation haki. When I was in the steam, all I had to do was to listen to the ship's and I could find it easily!"_

 _Zoro scratched his chin thoughtfully, "So it's used for finding things you can't see?"_

" _Eh… Something like that," Luffy scratched his head, there was also the thing about predicting your opponent's moves but he decided it was not that important._

" _So what else can this be used for?" Zoro looked at Luffy expectantly._

 _Luffy looked up at the sky, not really in the mind of explaining everything since he wasn't really sure about it himself._

" _I guess you can find the weak spots of things…" Luffy said finally._

 _Zoro raised an eyebrow._

" _Like… If you could feel their breath, you can easily find the flow of their energy or something… Ah… I don't really understand it myself but you would understand if you use it," Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment._

" _So how do I get it? Continue to put myself in more danger?" Zoro grunted._

" _That's one way, but for Observation haki, you'll have to improve all your senses by quite a bit… I trained mine by fighting blindfolded."_

" _I… I see…" Zoro nodded attentively._

 _Luffy laughed at his serious face, "Just get stronger, it'll come to you eventually, shishishi!"_

* * *

Zoro crossed his swords just in time to catch Mr. 1's chop, inches away from his face.

' _Damn it! What breath and energy?! I don't understand any of this! I only know how to cut things!'_

"Such futile attempts…" Mr. 1 frowned as he punched at the center of Zoro's crossed blades, sending him crashing into the building behind him.

"Zoro!" Usopp and Nami yelled out simultaneously.

"It's noooooo time to be looking elsewhere, phoonsies!" Mr. 2 kicked at Nami who barely had time to duck underneath it.

"Your opponent is meeeee!" Mr. 2 sang, twirling backwards to avoid another projectile that Usopp shot towards him.

"Usopp! Let's take this guy out first!" Nami shouted, brandishing her staff threateningly in front of her.

"I got it!" Usopp pulled out a bunch of bullets from his pouch, keeping his eyes on Mr. 2.

"Oh? Isn't this a little tad bit unfair? Ganging up on poor me?" Mr. 2 whined, though his guard remained up.

"Usopp! I'll need some time!" Nami shouted, breaking apart her staff and creating the bubbles she needed.

Usopp didn't hesitate and immediately launched three **Fire Stars** that exploded into a small wall of flames around Mr. 2.

Unperturbed, Mr. 2 leapt over the flames with the grace of a ballerina, landing with a small twirl outside the fire.

"I wonder, would you have the heart to attack one of your own?" Mr. 2 giggled.

With a small twirl, he immediately changed himself into Zoro, albeit with his ridiculous grin still plastered on his face.

"Hahaha! How is this? You guys can't bear hurting one of your own right? You can't beat me!" Mr. 2 laughed maniacally.

" **Lead Star!** " Usopp's projectile hit Mr. 2 squarely in between the eyes, sending him sprawling backwards on the floor.

He sat up on his haunches, clutching at his face as he turned himself back.

"How heartless! How can you attack one of your own friends?!"

Usopp grinned, pulling his slingshot back without hesitation, "As long as we know it's still you, we don't need to hesitate!"

Mr. 2 furrowed his brows as he jumped up to avoid the **Exploding Star** Usopp shot out.

"Then how about I sow a little bit of confusion then?" Mr. 2 laughed to himself, changing his face once again. He did another ballerina twirl before he changed himself into Usopp, all the while still laughing to himself.

"Now I wonder who is the real one? Can you tell us apart?" Mr. 2 stood haughtily with his hands on his hips, laughing at Nami.

Both Marines sweat dropped at him.

"You do know he's still up there right…" Nami pointed a finger at the roof Usopp was standing on.

Mr. 2 looked up at the roof, spotting the Marine sniper staring back at him incredulously.

Nami tilted her head at him, "Even if you change into him, you're still down here… Not really that hard to figure out who's the fake, you know?"

Mr. 2 knelt down on the ground and began crying out tears of shame.

"Last chance Mr. 2! Please give up!" Usopp shouted out.

"Never!" Mr. 2 spun around, changing back to his original form before lunging towards Nami.

Nami threw herself to the side, barely avoiding the kick that sailed over her head. Nami tried to push herself up but found Mr. 2 standing over her, his foot raised high in the air.

" **Hakucho Arabesque!** "

Mr. 2 kicked straight towards Nami, aiming for her head.

Nami barely had time to raise her staff in defence before the kick broke through the middle section of her staff, sending her flying back towards a wall. Nami gasped out in pain as she felt pain rock through her body like lightning, collapsing on the ground.

"Gaaaahhahhaha! I knew you were one of the weakest among the crew! Neither of you can hope to fight me evenly!" Mr. 2 laughed.

Usopp cursed as he released the **Exploding Stars** he had loaded in his slingshot, aiming to disable the okama.

Mr. 2 just laughed even louder as he pirouetted away from where Usopp had shot his bullets, letting them explode harmlessly on the ground.

"Gaaaahhahhaha! It will only be a matter of time before you run out of bullets to shoot! Then it will be over for you, Marine!" Mr. 2 laughed again.

Usopp furrowed his brows, the okama was right, of course, he had already used most of his bullets to keep him occupied, he could not afford to waste anymore if he could help it.

Nami groaned as she pushed herself off the floor, holding on to her two remaining staff parts.

"Nami! Are you alright?" Usopp yelled out in relief.

"I'm… fine…" Nami wheezed, gripping tightly to her weapon. She was only left with the shock and cold bubble parts.

"Still able to stand? How surprising," Mr. 2 smirked at her.

Nami gritted her teeth, glaring at the okama that was spinning in front of her, "It's true that I was weak… When my village was terrorized by pirates I could do nothing but watch them hurt the people I cared about…"

Nami spun the cold staff in her hand, creating a bunch of cold bubbles around her, ignoring the pain that came with that action.

"But that was in the past… I have people who would support me and help me become stronger now, I won't remain as the weak one anymore. I'll protect what I want with my own hands!"

Mr. 2 frowned at her, "Big words coming from a girly like you. What can you do here?"

"We can beat you!" Usopp shouted, shooting another **Exploding Star**.

Mr. 2 barely had time to jerk back his head to avoid the projectile, covering his face to avoid the heat that came with the explosion.

He noticed that his clothes felt stickier than before and the air felt more humid after the explosion.

"Usopp!" Nami yelled, running towards the agent with her last staff held in her hand.

Usopp said nothing as he lined up his slingshot once more, firing a small projectile at the okama.

"Useless!" Mr. 2 yelled out, kicking at the bullet Usopp had shot in an attempt to send it back to him.

The projectile exploded the moment his foot touched it, sending its liquid contents crashing down on top of the okama.

Mr. 2 could only splutter in shock as he tumbled back from surprise, sitting on the floor with a soft thump as the remains of the water balloon splattered on the floor.

Nami let out a yell as she stabbed her shock bubble staff into the back of Mr. 2, snapping it cleanly in half. A large discharge of electricity immediately exploded out from the shattered staff, shocking both Nami and Mr. 2.

Mr. 2 screamed out in pain as he felt torrents of electricity wreck through his body. Nami could feel the pain shock up her arm as well as she gritted her teeth and braved through it with her will. When the staff finally ran out of power, smoke was drifting out from Mr. 2's body and Nami could not feel her right arm that had held the staff.

"You…" Mr. 2 began, trying to turn around to grab the Marine navigator.

"Never call me weak again!" Nami kicked him across the head with her right foot, catching him across the temple and smashing him into the ground, unconscious.

Nami found herself panting heavily as her right arm hung by her side, numb from the shock. At least she didn't get the worst of it, she thought while looking down at the smoking Mr. 2.

"Well… I guess that was a rather… shocking experience…" Usopp commented, joining Nami by her side. He was mostly unscathed, though it seems he had a few bruises from where Mr. 2 had managed to kick back a few of his projectiles.

Before Nami could respond, the building to their left suddenly collapsed, revealing a rather badly cut up Zoro still locked in combat with Mr. 1.

"Zoro!" Nami and Usopp rushed towards him, intending to aid him.

"Stop! Don't come here!" Zoro yelled, shoving Mr. 1 away from him. "I'll handle him! Go find those Guard Captains and find Vivi! This bastard said there are agents among the rebels as well!"

Usopp swallowed, "But… You're…"

"No buts! Just go! This is my fight! Protect the king and princess!" Zoro leapt aside just as Mr. 1 slashed out his hands, cutting through the building behind him with ease.

"Tch… Usopp, let's go!" Nami grabbed onto the sleeve of Usopp's Marine cloak and pulled him along, turning her back on the fight.

"But Zoro's hurt!" Usopp protested.

Nami glanced over her shoulder, "He'll be fine, he won't fall to a guy like him. Now let's go before we're too late."

Nami broke into a run, ignoring the pain that stabbed at her with each step she took. Usopp chanced another glance back at the struggling swordsman before breaking into a run after Nami as well.

Mr. 1 watched the other two Marines disappear around a corner before turning back to regard the bleeding swordsman, "You should have taken their help, there's no way for you to beat me alone. Not that their help would have mattered anyway."

Zoro snorted at his words, "I can deal with you myself, there's no need for their help."

Mr. 1 raised his hands, turning them into blades, "It's your death, Marine."

He spun his arm at the Marine swordsman, attempting to cut across his chest. Zoro gritted his teeth as he raised a sword to block the slash.

Zoro planted a kick in Mr. 1's chest, pushing him away from him.

Without hesitation, Zoro lowered himself in his stance.

" **Oni Giri!** "

Zoro slashed past the blade man with all his might, frowning when he felt the metallic resistance that he had already grown accustomed to throughout this long battle.

Mr. 1 turned around while brushing his chest as though getting rid of some dust.

"You might as well just give up now, you've already tried so many times, aren't you tired?"

Zoro glared at the agent, "I've already managed to hit you a number of times... If I can just cut you, you'll already be finished."

" **If** you can cut me," Mr. 1 let a smirk cross his face.

Zoro furrowed his brows at the agent's words.

' _I just need to cut him... I just need to cut through iron..._ '

Zoro tightened his grip on his swords before lunging towards the blade man without warning.

Mr. 1 raised up his hand and smacked the opposing blade away lazily, looking down on the Marine swordsman that still refused to give up.

Zoro didn't relent on his failed lunge as he used his momentum to spin around and slash out the sword in his other hand, catching Mr. 1 across the chest.

Zoro gritted his teeth in frustration as he felt his sword rebound against the agent's iron skin, forcing him to leap back from him just as Mr. 1 lashed out his arm.

"I'll have to applaud your tenacity, I'd have thought you to be dead by now," Mr. 1 tilted his head at him casually.

Zoro didn't answer as he gripped his swords once more, glaring at the agent in front of him.

Mr. 1 lowered his stance, "But I think I've played with you long enough…"

Zoro brought his swords up in a guard as Mr. 1 brought both his wrists together with his palms facing Zoro. He charged at the Marine without warning, slamming his palms on Zoro's swords.

" **Sparkling Daisy!** "

Zoro felt several cuts along his shoulders and sides as he pushed against the lunge with all his might. The building behind him collapsed as it was decimated with Mr. 1's cuts.

Zoro felt his knees buckle as he fought to stay standing, glaring at the agent all the while.

"You have good eyes," Mr. 1 remarked, staring back at Zoro with his usual impassiveness. "Eyes that are suited more for killing, pity you chose the life of a Marine."

"I choose my own occupations," Zoro spat, shoving Mr. 1 back roughly.

Mr. 1 brushed dust off his arms, "You should have just taken our offer to join our organization, things would've have been so much more easier."

Zoro grinned as he pointed a sword at the agent, "Sorry, your organization's too boring for me, I'll die of boredom within the week. Not to mention the companions I'll have to be with are too full of themselves."

Mr. 1 narrowed his eyes at the Marine, his mouth curling into the barest of frowns.

Without any warning, Mr. 1 lunged forward with his right arm pointed at Zoro, the tips of his fingers outstretched and aiming for his throat.

Zoro flicked the sword in his right hand outwards to deflect the hand away, twisting his body with the motion to slash at Mr. 1's exposed back with the swords in his left hand and mouth.

Mr. 1 did not even flinch as he took the blow on his back, only taking a step forward from the impact before spinning on one leg to kick upwards at Zoro.

Zoro jerked his head back before slashing out his right hand at Mr. 1's stationary leg, the sword bouncing off the leg with a resounding "clang".

Zoro barely had time to leap backwards as Mr. 1 chopped his arm at where the Marine's neck had been moments ago.

Without wasting time, Zoro leapt forwards once more, his swords held at his sides.

" **Tatsu Maki!** "

Zoro slashed out his swords, creating a miniature tornado of blades that smashed into Mr. 1.

Mr. 1 lowered himself and lunged through the tornado, bursting out in front of Zoro. The Marine barely had time to raise his guard before the agent swung both his arms in front of him.

" **Spar Break!** "

Zoro felt the world go black around him for a moment, barely registering himself falling on to the floor.

Mr. 1 landed on both his feet just as the building behind Zoro exploded out in a storm of slashes, collapsing in itself.

"Such a shame," Mr. 1 commented dryly, not even sparing a glance at the prone swordsman as he walked away from him.

Zoro felt the edges of his vision go dark, his body unfeeling. He could already feel the blood spilling out from the various cuts on his body, his life draining slowly away.

"Bas… tard…" Zoro spat out weakly, slowly pushing himself up. His arms burned from the exertion, threatening to give way. His body groaned in protest as he felt of his muscles strain just to keep him on his feet.

Mr. 1 turned to see Zoro still standing weakly, gripping on to his swords with the last of his strength.

"If you were smart, you would've just laid down quietly instead," Mr. 1 sighed.

Mr. 1 brought up his arms and broke into a charge towards the Marine, aiming to end him quickly.

The Marine swordsman tensed slightly, knowing he would not last beyond the next hit. He let out a breath and let himself calm, ignoring the constant pain his body was in.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Zoro watched the agent charge towards him. Zoro could feel each of his muscles tense slightly as he felt his senses go into overdrive.

His eyes flickered around, as if seeing everything for the first time, taking in everything he saw carefully.

The world seemed a little bit brighter and clearer, though colors seemed a little saturated.

' _Is this… What Haki feels like?'_

Zoro wondered, still taking in the new experience. He could feel the air brushing against his skin, hear the straining of Mr. 1's every muscle as he leapt towards him. Somehow, Zoro knew if he wanted to, he could avoid the blow.

' _Well… It's either that or I'm dying._ ' Zoro laughed to himself humorlessly.

He snapped himself back to attention as Mr. 1's arms neared his throat, inches away from piercing him with his sharp fingers.

Zoro deftly stepped aside, ignoring the protests of his already straining body.

Mr. 1 spun on a leg, spinning his right arm back towards Zoro's chest.

Zoro could hear it coming before Mr. 1 even completed his spin, taking another small step back to avoid it.

Not pausing, Mr. 1 kicked upwards on his free leg, aiming for the Marine's throat again. He furrowed his brows when Zoro only tilted his head to the side to avoid it, both of his eyes closed.

The agent slammed his foot downwards, trying to get Zoro on the shoulder but Zoro side stepped that as well, eyes still closed.

Furious, Mr. 1 raised his arm and delivered a flurry of stabs, chops and lunges at the Marine, only for all of it to meet empty air as Zoro swayed side to side, carefully avoiding most of the blows. Of the ones he could not avoid, Mr. 1 only managed to deal very shallow cuts that didn't seem to faze the Marine in the slightest bit.

"How? How are you still able to do this? You're practically bleeding to death now…" Mr. 1 muttered, stepping back from the Marine.

Zoro said nothing as he stretched out the sword in his left, slashing it upwards at Mr. 1.

Mr. 1 raised an arm to block it, fully intent on lunging once he deflected the blade away. Instead, the sword continued on its path unobstructed, just as Mr. 1 felt a trickle of pain crawl up his arm.

He looked at his arm in confusion, finding a small cut that stretched from his elbow to his wrist.

While Mr. 1 was still comprehending the impossible, Zoro let a small smile cross his face.

"I understand now, Luffy… I hear it…" Zoro finally opened his eyes to watch the agent carefully, pointing the sword in his left hand at him. "I can cut you."

Zoro said it so simply as though it was an obvious fact, a fact that seemed impossible not so long ago.

Mr. 1 furrowed his brows, "It seems so… But it still doesn't change the fact that you're already half dead."

Zoro let out a humorless chuckle, "You have let yourself grown complacent, haven't you realize that?"

"What do you mean?" Mr. 1 frowned.

Zoro lowered himself into his stance, "Now that I can cut you, you have no defense against my blades. There's no way for you to not get cut."

Mr. 1's eyes widened in realization just as Zoro lunged at him.

The agent brought up his arms instinctively to block the attack, only to have his arms cut by the swords. Mr. 1 could only watch helplessly as Zoro brought down the sword in his mouth across his chest, leaving a slash from his right shoulder down to his left hip.

Without hesitation, Zoro settled into his most familiar stance, ignoring the strain his body was already being put through, knowing full well that he shouldn't even be standing in his current state.

" **Oni Giri!** "

Zoro slashed out all three of his swords at once, coating each of his three swords in blood.

Mr. 1 gritted his teeth in pain, knees buckling under his weight as he fell for the first time in the battle. He tilted his head backwards to look at the Marine swordsman sheathing his swords calmly.

"Heh… Seems like I really underestimated you…" Mr. 1 let out a grin. "Now I guess I'm paying the price… For that…"

Zoro grinned back at the agent, "Thanks to you for making me stronger."

"Ha… So what are you going to cut next? Diamond?"

"What makes you think I can't do it now?" Zoro looked back.

"Heh… It's my loss…" Mr. 1 collapsed face first on the ground, unmoving.

Zoro took a chance to look up at the sky, "Am I closer to your expectations now… Luffy?"

Moments later, he too collapsed in a heap, just as the shadow of a large falcon descended in between the two.

* * *

Vivi was standing apprehensively beside Kohza, the latter doing his best to convince the rebels of the trickery that they had been subjected to and to put a stop to the meaningless rebellion.

"This war has gone on for long enough, too many people have suffered and many lives have been lost to this trickery! Many of us had faith in our king and we always believed he was innocent of these heinous crimes! Now is the time to put this wrong to right!" Kohza swept his arm outwards dramatically.

All of the rebels had their eyes on him, eyes darting occasionally at the princess and the king that flanked him on either side.

A man with a scar across his face stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at the king, "It still doesn't change the fact that there's a drought because of you!"

"We have been tricked!" Kohza gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing he had been a victim of this trickery as well. "The king had always been innocent from the start! He was framed by others who had sought to destroy this country!"

"Lies!" The scarred man spat angrily. "Nothing but fancy tales this fake king has told to convince us of his innocence!"

This time the king stepped forward, "My people,all of you have the right to hate me as I was powerless to prevent the disaster from happening. All this time I had never stepped forward to claim my innocence due to one reason: My lack of evidence. Without it, it would only be seen as a convenient lie that other parties might use to destroy our country."

"And why should we believe you now?" Another man with a sharp face waved his sword menacingly at the king.

"Because I've seen their plans," Vivi pleaded. "The time I had gone missing was actually spent infiltrating this organization that planned the downfall of our country!"

There were murmurs of surprise among the rebels, some doubtful about her claims but most agreed she was telling the truth.

"This organization calls itself Baroque Works and it was the reason for this war!" Vivi continued without hesitation. "They were the ones who had planted the Dance Powder in our country to bring about our ruination just so they can put themselves in positions of power once we have destroyed each other!"

This brought angry shouts from some rebels, wanting to seek out this new enemy and bring justice to them. The scarred face man however, didn't agree, "You're lying! You have no proof that such an organization exist! You probably disappeared just to escape the civil war!"

This sparked off a shouting match amongst the rebels, some of them defending Vivi while others agreeing with the scarred face man.

"It doesn't matter anymore!" Cobra shouted, silencing the rebels. "What matters now is that we don't bring this country any further into ruin! If all of you wish it, I would abdicate the throne to save it!"

Everyone gasped in shock at the king's words.

"No!" Kohza grabbed Cobra by his collar, pulling him to face him. "Don't you dare say that now! Not after what we've been through!"

The rebel leader turned to face the now solemn rebels, "We started this war for a reason, many of you followed me because we shared the same feelings back then, but it seems some of us have lost sight of our goal."

Kohza looked at each of the rebels that stood in front in the eye, some looked back at him proudly while others looked away and shuffled their feet guiltily.

"We started this war not because we wanted vengeance, not for justice and neither for the rain that was stolen from us. We fought this war because we believed we did it to save this country from ruin!"

Kohza swept his arms in an arc, gesturing to all of the rebels, "Now we all know the truth! If we go any further than we already have, this country will be destroyed by our own hands instead!"

Kohza gritted his teeth as he gestured to the king, "While I was at Nanohana where we had reports of the king appearing there, we found instead someone who had the power to transform himself into the king."

Vivi swore the collective gasp from the rebels could have sucked the rain from the sky.

A short woman who was missing her left arm stepped forward hesitatingly, "Even so leader… Even if we agree to end the war, I fear many of us won't be satisfied unless a concrete resolution was reached…"

Kohza nodded sagely, as though he had already expected it, "The destruction of Baroque Works and bringing justice to these criminals who dared tried to destroy our country."

A number of rebels smiled at the suggestions but the scarred face man immediately shouted out in protest, "t is not enough! We were ready to throw our lives to bring down this crooked king! We shall not rest until he is at least punished for the state that this country has become!"

A large group of rebel shouted out in agreement, punching their fists in the air.

Vivi gasped suddenly, her hands covering her mouth in surprise.

Kohza turned to see her face had turned unnaturally white.

"Vivi? What's wrong?" Kohza asked in concern.

Vivi pointed a finger at the scarred face man's arm where the sleeve had rolled up when he had been shaking his fist in the air. At the top of his arm near the shoulder, a tattoo of a winged skull with two rapiers crossed behind it could be seen clearly. Right underneath it, the words "Baroque Works" were etched.

The man and those who had raised their hands hastily covered it but those near them had already seen it.

Kohza's eyes flashed red in anger, "Everyone show me your arms! Bring those who have that tattoo in front!"

It didn't take long for the infiltrated agents to be brought up in chains and made to kneel in front of the rebel leader. Most of them had been part of the rebellion in its early stages.

Any doubt the other rebels had of Vivi and Cobra's words had vanished by then, most of them already crying out to bring the organization to justice.

"Damnit! So we were already played from the start!" Kohza cursed at them. "I was nothing but a pawn to your organization's plans!"

Cobra walked up to the agents, eyeing each of them carefully, "Why would any of you do this to our country?"

"Promises of wealth, most likely," Kohza spat, disgust clear on his face.

Vivi crouched down in front of them, "I know there was a final phase in the organization's plans, but I couldn't discover what it was before I was found out. Tell me what it is and we'll set you free."

"Vivi! They can't be trusted!" Kohza glared hard at the agents.

The agents shrunk back from the anger in his voice, quivering in fear.

"Kohza, we have no choice, we need to know what else they have planned in order to stop it…" Vivi pleaded.

"Tell us the plan, and I'll guarantee all of you safe passage out of this country," Cobra supplied.

The agents still kept their mouths tightly shut.

Kohza grabbed the scar faced man by his collar and shook him roughly, "Say it, or I swear I will make the rest of your lives as painful as possible that you will scream for death!"

The man soiled his pants slightly, sweat pouring down from his face as he tried to find his voice, "We… We were suppose to make the rebel army… attack Alubarna today… I don't know anything else, I swear!"

"Is that the absolute truth?!" Kohza shook him once more.

The man gulped, "Yes sir… Our boss never told us anything else… I swear!"

Kohza threw him back down on the ground roughly, turning back to the king and princess.

"They have something prepared for the capital…" Vivi frowned, she looked calm but her hands were shaking slightly.

"We'll have to stop them, whatever it takes." Cobra nodded.

Kohza began barking orders to the rebels, sending messengers running to various posts to deliver the news of the trickery and their plans to head towards Alubarna with the intention of stopping the rebellion.

Kohza furrowed his brows, "It's time to end this war once and for all, too much has already been lost…"

"Aye, we'll link up with the Guard Captains and those Marines before heading back," Cobra agreed, already looking towards the direction of the capital.

It was time to end the war.


	21. Chapter 21: The Villain With Hero's Name

_A/N: Hey guys. I'm really terribly sorry that this took so long to come out. Unfortunately the life of a trainee commander takes even more freedom away from you and our schedules are always packed to the brim. We would already consider ourselves lucky if we even had at least half an hour of free time to ourselves. One of the reasons I managed to churn this out this week was thanks to the fact that I was given more free time, and not for a good reason either._

 _That reason was that I came down with a fever and had both my eyes infected with something during our field camp and had to be hospitalized. I was practically walking around blind that entire day as I couldn't open my eyes and I was a_ _bsolutely terrified that I may end up blind. Thankfully that didn't happen and my eyesight was restored and they gave me a few days of medical leave for me to completely recover._

 _One good news is that we're nearing the end of our "Foundation Term"(basically our basic training course) and with any luck, I'll be posted somewhere that doesn't require me to be outfield most of the time. Do pray for me :(_

 _Anyway, really sorry for making you guys wait and I shan't keep you guys any longer._

 _As always, enjoy._

* * *

The pitter patter of footsteps echoed loudly as three cloak-wearing figures ran down the tunnel.

"How far does this thing even go?" Smoker sighed, readjusting the jitte that he hefted on his shoulder.

"By the look of this, Hina assumes it might lead towards the palace itself…" Hina muttered.

Smoker winced a little, "How in the world did this guy manage to build all this without anyone knowing?"

Hina tilted her head at him, "Sand fruit."

Smoker furrowed his brows, "As much as I hate to admit it… He planned this well… And speaking of plans, do we have one or?"

"We kick his ass!" Luffy yelled confidently, punching his hands in the air.

"I thought so…" Smoker sighed again, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

"We'll improvise," Hina stifled a laugh with her hand.

A few more minutes of running later, the sound of running water can be heard. The three Marines soon came to a stop in front of a waterway that flowed from an opening in the roof of the tunnel that seems to reach the other end of the tunnel. A small boat was moored near the edge of the path with a rope securely fastened to a wooden pole.

Another empty wooden pole stood alone at the other side.

"You think that boat can fit all three of us?" Smoker gestured with his chin.

"I can swim," Luffy shrugged.

Hina tested the boat with a foot, taking note of how it floated on the current, "won't be necessary, it will fit all of us, Hina thinks."

"Alright!" Luffy jumped in eagerly, settling himself down at the prow like a proud captain.

Hina followed behind while Smoker stepped in uneasily, still having his doubts. Both Marine Captains settled at the back of the boat, deciding it to be the safest place on the boat.

Seeing that the boat held their weight without any problems, Hina, untied the rope and let the boat float steadily down the waterway.

"This is fun!" Luffy, yelled enthusiastically, punching his hands in the air in victory.

"Only you would find something like this fun," Smoker sighed with a slow shake of his head, resecuring his jitte on his back to make sure it doesn't fall into the water.

"Well, then you guys might want to hold onto to something soon!" Luffy laughed.

Both Smoker and Hina tilted their heads at him, not understanding.

Luffy grinned mischievously and stepped aside from the prow, revealing the twisting waterways that sped up the current.

The two Marine Captains barely had time to grab on to the sides of the boat before they rocketed down the waterway, rocking back and forth against the current.

"LUUUFFFYY!" Smoker yelled, clinging to the side for dear life with Hina laughing delightedly beside him, not even considering the probability they might capsize.

Luffy himself seemed too absorbed in the amount of fun he was having as the the boat went airborne for a moment before smashing back into the water, the ensuing spray drenching them to the bone.

"This is great!" Luffy laughed, shaking the water out from his hair as the boat finally entered calmer waters, slowly floating along the tunnel again.

"I'm glad you're having fun…" Smoker remarked sarcastically, having stripped off his jacket to wring out the water.

"Hina wonders if Crocodile went through that as well," Hina smiled, trying her best to dry her long hair.

"Maybe he likes to have fun too!" Luffy grinned, tilting his head back at them.

"Unlikely," Smoker spat, laying his jacket over his thankfully dry pants. "It's probably made that way to speed up the travel."

Luffy pouted at Smoker who pointedly rolled his eyes before glancing away.

Hina grinned before pointing ahead, "it looks like we're here."

Both males turned back to see the water current ending at a small jetty with another small boat tied to it, no doubts as to who had reached here before them.

"Alright! Let's go kick his ass!" Luffy leapt off the boat without hesitation, punching both his hands in the air.

Smoker stepped off the boat gingerly, putting on his jacket as he did so while Hina secured the boat to one of the wooden poles. A metallic door sat at a rock face at the end of the tunnel where the smooth surface of the tunnel ended.

"Any guesses to where we might be?" Smoker asked, already, gripping his jitte.

"Only one way to find out," Hina grinned as she pulled at her gloves, making sure they stayed tight.

"Let's go!" Luffy laughed, kicking down the steel door off its hinges without hesitation.

The three Marines found themselves in a basement of some sort, barrels and boxes were stacked around the room and a staircase leading upwards was tucked snugly in the corner.

Luffy led the way up as Smoker and Hina followed closely behind, carefully looking around them at each of the levels they passed for ambushes.

The staircase ended in the middle of a small room with a single door that opened out into a rather spacious courtyard. In the middle of it stood two very familiar people.

"Crocodile!" Luffy yelled out immediately upon spotting the Shichibukai.

The Shichibukai and his companion turned to see the three Marines emerging from the secret entrance that they had built to reach the palace.

Crocodile furrowed his brows in rage when he saw them unharmed.

"You… How did you get out of that cage?"

"It wasn't that hard, honestly," Luffy smirked.

Crocodile gritted his teeth as he felt his rage grew. He had thought everything was going to plan when they had the three Marines locked up. The agents that were stationed in the palace had warned him about them after all and he had prepared for their arrival appropriately. But he had came to the palace expecting at least a war in progress, not the silence of a city still in sleep.

"That cage was made of Seastone, you Devil Fruit users couldn't have gotten out of there by yourselves!"

"That's what you get for underestimating us, pirate," Smoker spat.

"What. Have. You. Done?" Crocodile barely held himself back from lashing out at the three Marines.

Hina stepped forward, "Give up, your plans end here."

Crocodile looked around the courtyard once more, all his carefully laid out plans over the years seemed to come crashing down on him.

"Miss All Sunday…" Crocodile turned to glance at the woman.

The woman herself didn't seem concerned about the situation at all and returned his gaze with a look.

Crocodile pointed his hook at her, "It's because of your incompetence that this is happening! How could you have allowed any of this to happen?!"

Miss All Sunday only raised an eyebrow at his accusations.

"Blaming another because of their own failure, how typical of pirates," Smoker grinned.

Crocodile turned back to direct his ire back at the Marines.

"If you're done looking for excuses, I shall go look for what we originally came here for, seeing how we don't have the king in our hands like **you** planned." Miss All Sunday waved a hand dismissively before turning away.

Crocodile glared at her back, "You will pay for that, Nico Robin…"

Luffy frowned visibly while Miss All Sunday stopped in her tracks.

"I already told you to never call me by that name," Miss All Sunday turned and directed her piercing cold gaze at him.

"If you manage to find it, I can still salvage my plans and our contract shall remain intact… If you fail…" Crocodile waved his hook at her menacingly.

Miss All Sunday only sighed before turning back to leave the courtyard. Crocodile watched her leave before turning back to the Marines with disdain.

"Now for you damn meddlesome Marines, I'll make this quick."

Smoker snorted, "It's already over pirate, you don't stand a chance."

Crocodile smirked at the Marine's words, "Perhaps you might have forgotten? I still have my bomb that would destroy this country and with my power, I will survive the explosion before claiming this land as my own!"

"We won't let you," Hina said simply.

"I can kill all three of you here and now," Crocodile spread his arms wide arrogantly.

"Do try," Luffy grinned, lowering himself into his stance.

Crocodile gestured with his hand at the three Marines, "I'll make sure all of you live to see the end of this country, I'll enjoy the look on your faces when you have realized you have failed."

"Too much talking," Luffy grinned, leaping towards the Shichibukai without warning with Smoker and Hina following closely behind.

Crocodile slashed out with his hand and a blade of sand formed in front of him.

" **Desert Spada!** "

The sand blade plowed towards the Commodore at blinding speed, cutting through even the ground that it travelled on.

Luffy threw up both his arms to cross in front of him.

" **Armament!** "

With both of his arms encased in haki, he lashed out his hands at the sand blade, dispersing it back into sand.

Crocodile widened his eyes in disbelief as he watched the Marine charge through his attack without a scratch, right fist already poised to strike him.

Crocodile clucked his tongue as he started dispersing his body into sand, trying to get away from the Marine that was rapidly approaching him.

Luffy grinned as he kicked the ground ten times quickly, appearing right in front of Crocodile just as half his body was dispersing into sand.

The Shichibukai could only grit his teeth as Luffy swung his haki-infused fist down to smash against his face, flinging him away.

Smoker wasted no time in stabbing his jitte forward and catching Crocodile in his abdomen, bringing him fully out of his sand form with its Sea Stone tip.

"Sea Stone…" Crocodile cursed under his breath.

Hina moved forward swiftly and kicked towards Crocodile's torso, caging the upper part of his body in a manacle.

Luffy dashed towards the Shichibukai, brandishing a pair of Sea Stone cuffs from under his cloak.

Crocodile glared hard at Smoker as he flicked his right arm upwards, deflecting the jitte away with his hook. Smoker gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched Crocodile disperse his body into sand before Luffy could reach him and reformed on the roof, free of Hina's bindings.

Crocodile glared down at the three Marines, "I see I might have underestimated you three a bit… A Commodore and two Captains from Headquarters.. I guess I should take this a bit more seriously…"

"We almost had him…" Smoker cursed under his breath.

"We'll get him on the next one," Luffy grinned, spinning the Sea Stone cuffs around his finger casually.

Crocodile narrowed his eyes at Luffy, "How can you handle Sea Stone without it draining your strength? aren't you a Devil Fruit user?"

Luffy stuck his tongue out at the Shichibukai, "That's where you're wrong, I'm not an ability user."

Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration, "Nico Robin… You planned for this didn't you…"

Luffy stuck the cuffs under his cloak before leaping upwards to the roof, his body encased entirely in haki.

"Too slow," Crocodile mocked the Marine as he dispersed his body into sand, letting Luffy's punch through him.

Luffy turned just in time to see Crocodile reform behind him with a solid wall of sand formed in between them.

The wall flew straight towards Luffy, smashing against the Commodore and plowing through the roof of the building Crocodile was standing on moments before.

Crocodile dispersed once more just as Smoker stabbed his jitte towards the Shichibukai, aiming for his exposed back.

"How naive, you think I'll be that easy?" Crocodile grinned sadistically, reforming himself above the Captain.

"Damn pirate!" Smoker yelled, swinging his jitte in an arc, aiming to smack him across the face.

Crocodile brought up his hook to catch the swing with a cruel smile plastered on his face. He reached his right hand towards Smoker as sand gathered near his palm.

" **Sables.** "

A miniature sandstorm manifested itself on Crocodile's palm, blowing Smoker back and smashing him into the ground.

Hina leapt up and kicked at the Shichibukai, catching him across his torso only to have her leg pass through thin air when he changed his upper body into sand.

Crocodile grinned down at Hina, reforming his right hand in front of her, "Such a pity, you can't touch me without haki."

He grabbed her outstretched leg and pulled her up, dangling her upside down in front of him.

Hina furrowed her brows and kicked at his head with her other leg, gritting her teeth in frustration as Crocodile reformed his head when the kick reached him.

Crocodile let a sadistic smile cross his face, "Did you know, my right hand can absorb moisture from anything it touches, even from another human? Shall we find out what happens when all the water from your body is gone?"

Before he could carry out his threat, Luffy appeared once more at his side with his fist raised and encased in haki.

Crocodile clucked his tongue in annoyance as he released his grip on Hina, dispersing his body once more to avoid Luffy's punch.

Hina flipped herself in midair and landed on both her feet, watching as Crocodile reformed himself on the ground a few feet away from her.

Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration, "You meddlesome Marines…"

Luffy landed beside Hina just as Smoker reformed himself from his smoke form, standing beside the crater he was smashed into.

Luffy lowered himself again, encasing his whole body in haki, "Smoker! Hina, surround him!"

The Commodore launched himself forward without waiting for a reply, delivering a flurry of blows towards the Shichibukai.

Crocodile furrowed his brows as he did his best to deflect and block each of Luffy's strikes, the sudden aggression from the Marine coming as a surprise.

" **Smoke Trap!** "

Smoker reached out his arms, changing them into smoke and spreading them out to encircle the area around Luffy and Crocodile.

" **Awase Baori** "

Hina spreaded her arms in the same fashion as well, encircling the same area with with a fence-like cage of bars from her arms.

Crocodile looked at their new formation with disdain, "What manner of tricks are you up to now?"

"Capturing a criminal, of course," Luffy grinned, never taking his eyes off his prey.

"Ha! Do you little meddlers think you can actually sto-"

Crocodile's words were cut off abruptly as he felt something impact on his back, tossing him straight towards the waiting Commodore.

Luffy grinned openly at him as he punched straight at Crocodile's face, smashing him onto the ground.

The Shichibukai bit back a curse as he reformed himself away from another of Luffy's strikes, trying to get away from him.

He looked around at the smoke ring that Smoker had formed, glaring straight at the look of contempt on Smoker's face.

"Damn White Hunter…" Crocodile spat towards him.

Crocodile turned back towards Luffy again, hatred evident on his face, "I should have expected you Marines would use such underhanded tricks… Using one man to distract me while the other two tries to disable me."

Luffy's grin grew wider as he lunged towards Crocodile once more, aiming a punch towards his face.

Crocodile side stepped the lunge before ducking to avoid a stab from Smoker's jitte that appeared from the ring of smoke.

The Shichibukai wanted to disable Smoker first but Luffy made sure to always be in his way, slowly pushing him towards the edge of the ring and closing the trap on him.

Crocodile shifted away to avoid another of Luffy's kicks before deflecting another stab from Smoker with his hook, constantly shifting his eyes around to watch his front and back.

"Such irritating flies…" Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration, ducking under another one of Luffy's attacks.

Crocodile lowered himself and placed his right hand on the ground.

" **Ground Secco.** "

The ground below his hand cracked and crumbled, spreading its cracks towards the entire courtyard. The three Marines could only watch as the Shichibukai turned the once majestic stone floor into nothing but piles of sand.

"Now with this change of battlefield, I believe the tables have turned," Crocodile smirked devilishly.

Smoker materialised his jitte from within his smoke behind Crocodile, attempting another stab at him to disable his Devil Fruit abilities. Hina moved her arms in at the same time in order to restrict him while Luffy leaped out of the way.

Crocodile only laughed at their attack as he melted himself into the ground, disappearing into the sand.

"Damnit! Where did he go?!" Smoker cursed as he returned his arms to their original state.

"He wouldn't have just ran off, would he?" Hina watched the ground carefully, fully expecting the Shichibukai to reappear despite her own words.

Luffy shook his head quickly, still in his combat stance, "No, he's still here…"

All three Marines stared at the sand beneath their feet.

Crocodile laughed as he reformed himself behind Hina, his left hand poised in the air with his hook ready to strike.

Hina wasted no time in crouching down low and kicking her leg upwards to deflect his hook away, rolling aside to avoid the sand blade he slashed with his other hand.

Crocodile only sniffed at his failed attack before shifting back into the sand again, disappearing once more into the ground.

"That blasted pirate…" Hina scoffed, wiping sand away from her sleeve.

"He's coming again, Smoker!" Luffy warned, putting his Observation haki to full alert.

Smoker wheeled around just in time for Crocodile to reform beneath his feet, his right hand reaching out to grab at his ankles.

Smoker stabbed his jitte downwards at the pirate, trying to pin his hand with the Sea Stone before he could escape again. Crocodile had anticipated that move, however.

He flicked his hand aside to avoid the stab before grabbing onto the jitte, using his ability to disintegrate the jitte into sand.

Crocodile reformed fearlessly in front of Smoker, laughing as he did so, "Only one of you has means of damaging me now, you two are nothing but liabilities."

"That's what you would think, pirate," Smoker growled, snatching a pair of Sea Stone cuffs from under his jacket.

Crocodile shifted away in record speed the moment he saw the cuffs lash out at him, disappearing into the sand again.

"Hina!" Luffy shouted out a warning, watching Crocodile form behind her with his right hand stretched to grab her.

Hina immediately twisted around to kick upwards at him, aiming to drive him back towards the other two Marines but Crocodile managed to catch her leg with his hand.

" **Sand Bara.** "

Sand poured out from his hand and travelled down Hina's leg, covering her entire body with sand. Within a few seconds, the Marine Captain was covered in a layer of hardened sand, trapping her in her kicking posture like a statue.

"That's one down," Crocodile said proudly as though he had chiselled the statue himself.

"Bastard!" Smoker yelled, charging towards Crocodile with Luffy alongside him.

Luffy kicked at the right side of Crocodile's head while Smoker went for Crocodile's legs from the left, the Sea Stone cuffs ready in his hands.

Crocodile leaned back to avoid Luffy's kick while manipulating the sand beneath him to blast Smoker away.

Crocodile laughed as he shifted away from the Marines, forming himself at the roof of a building nearby, "Weren't you three going to finish me up fast? Time is ticking you know, my bomb could go off anytime soon!"

"Tch, this guy's more trouble than he's worth…" Smoker frowned.

Luffy placed his hand carefully on Hina, closing his eyes and concentrating on the sand that was surrounding her. When he was satisfied, he lightly punched at her, shattering the sand that had encased her, much to Crocodile's disappointment.

"Thanks Luffy," Hina gasped, glad to be free from her confinements.

"Smokey, Hina, go take care of the bomb," Luffy said offhandedly, keeping his eyes on Crocodile.

The two Captains looked at each other.

"But what about him?" Smoker pointed a finger at the smirking Shichibukai.

Luffy clenched his fists, "I'll take care of him, but the bomb comes first."

Hina glared at the pirate who seemed extremely confident that his plans were going as they should have.

She turned and placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder, "Don't take too long, Luffy."

Smoker raised an eyebrow at her as she walked past, "You're going let him do it alone?"

"It's not like we'll be much help anyway," Hina waved her hand at him.

Smoker frowned, taking one last look at Crocodile before turning his back on him as well.

"No you don't," Crocodile laughed, shifting himself towards the two departing Marines. "Can't have you guys ruining my plans any further!"

Luffy jumped up to meet him, kicking at the Shichibukai and sending him crashing back towards the courtyard.

"Your opponent is me," Luffy cracked his knuckles slowly as he landed opposite Crocodile.

"Hmph, they let a brat like you become a Commodore? The standards of the Marines must be dropping." Crocodile sneered.

Luffy smirked, "Indeed, they let someone like you become a Shichibukai too."

" **Desert Spada!** "

" **Rankyaku!** "

Crocodile lashed out the sand blade with blinding speed, while Luffy kicked out his compressed blade of air.

Both projectiles deflected each other off course, cutting past both fighters inches away from them.

Crocodile furrowed his brows as he raised his right hand in the air, concentrating on gathering all the sand he could in his palm before launching it at the Marine.

" **Sables!** "

" **Soru!** "

Luffy disappeared from where he stood, reappearing behind the pirate with both his fists clenched raised in the air.

Crocodile cursed and turned himself to meet him, facing him just as Luffy launched his barrage of punches at the pirate.

" **Desert Scudo!** "

A huge wall of sand materialised in front of Crocodile, blocking a few of Luffy's punches before collapsing from his barrage, giving Crocodile time to shift himself away from the Marine.

Crocodile placed his hand on the ground, watching as Luffy advanced on him again.

" **Desert Grande Espada!** "

Luffy barely jumped aside in time as a large blade of sand erupted from the ground underneath him, cutting across his side and drawing a small trickle of blood.

Crocodile sneered, "You're fast, I'll give you that, but you're still too weak to beat me."

"Shishishi, it's true I still have a long way to go to become strong, I'm still not at where I want to be yet."

Crocodile spat at his answer with disdain, "Ha! Not only you, everything in this country screams of weakness! The king won't do anything against his own people to save himself! The people are no better either to believe such lies and turn against their king so easily!"

Luffy frowned as Crocodile said those words but held himself back.

"Even you Marines too, for not even suspecting anything while this was going on! That little princess of yours will perish alongside all of you!"

Luffy broke out in a grin suddenly, "That will not happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I will beat you here."

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Luffy fiddled with his red colored tie as he sat on one of the many plush chairs inside the room. The room itself was huge compared to the furniture that adorned it, to the point that the place seemed rather empty despite its plentiful decorations._

 _The grand double doors opened slightly to reveal Jabra walking in with his usual wolfish grin. He strutted up to the still seated Luffy, who had acknowledged his presence with a slight nod._

" _So, Luffy my boy," Jabra grinned, taking a seat in the chair opposite him. "What can I do for you?"_

 _Luffy looked up at the wolf man who was leaning comfortably in his seat, both of his feet placed on the coffee table in between them._

 _Luffy took a deep breath before meeting Jabra's eyes, "Jabra, please teach me how to fight."_

 _Jabra lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side in confusion, watching the one whom he had initially dismissed as a kid riding on his Grandfather's coat tails to an extremely terrifying existence._

" _You already know how to fight, Luffy… What are you talking about?"_

 _Luffy thought over his words carefully, "I've been thinking about what you said… And… I'm still nowhere as strong as I want to be…"_

" _You're plenty strong enough…" Jabra rolled his eyes and muttered to himself._

" _So I'm asking if you can teach me the way you fight?"_

" _As I said Luffy, what are you talking about? You already know how to fight!"_

 _The straw hat wearing agent shook his head quickly, "What I know is just to punch and kick at things, there's no technique in them. In the past, I've met someone strong who told me I lacked experience… I believe part of it also attributes to the fact that I don't really have a fighting form of my own…"_

 _Jabra frowned, having no fighting form could be both considered a strength and a weakness. Fighters well versed in martial arts would find him difficult to predict due to the flexibility of his movements but most of his attacks would be weaker._

 _Besides, Luffy as a martial artist? That was something no one could easily come to terms with knowing the way Luffy is._

" _Impossible, impossible," Jabra waved his hands dismissively while shaking his head._

" _What? Why?" Luffy frowned._

 _Jabra leaned further back on the chair, sighing, "you don't have the aptitude for it, it's better for you to stay how you are now."_

" _Then… Is there another way for me to get stronger?"_

" _Tch… Why are you so insistent on getting stronger? If you ask me, you're already stronger than you have any right to be!"_

 _Luffy hesitated, it was true that he was strong, he had been training himself to be the strongest from the start after all. But he knew with all that strength he was still far from his goal of becoming an Admiral. Others might already see him as strong, but that goal of his still seemed so far away to him._

" _I still have things I can't protect with my current level of power…" Luffy said finally. "At my current state, it's still not enough…"_

 _Jabra snorted, "Hmph, even if you say so, there's nothing much that I can teach you, it's better if you find someone else."_

" _I… I see…"_

 _Luffy hung his head low, staring blankly at his hands._

" _No way to get stronger… No way to get stronger… No way to get stronger…" Luffy repeated while sighing to himself._

 _Jabra sighed at the overwhelming melancholic feeling he was giving out. He scratched his head lightly, considering his next few words carefully._

" _Luffy… Damn it… I'm not the only one who can teach you, you know? You don't have to be so depressed over it?"_

" _But… Ever since I came here, you've been the one teaching me everything… If it wasn't for you, I might have not been able to stay here…"_

' _Well, yeah… I was hoping you could take over my job and make my life easier…' Jabra thought to himself, glancing to the side uncomfortably._

" _Alright, fine!" Jabra slammed the table with finality. "I know you're after my_ _ **Tekkai Kempo**_ _you little brat, you've been pestering me about it since the first time you've seen it!"_

 _Luffy nodded with a huge grin on his face._

 _Jabra pointed a finger at him, "I'll work you to the bone you hear? Don't come crying to me if it turns out too much for you!"_

" _Understood!"_

 _Jabra came to regret his decision later._

* * *

"Beat me here? You think just because you know a few moves you can stand against me?" Crocodile laughed, spreading out his arms in an exaggerated fashion. "Foolish boy, I'll make you understand the difference between us."

"Shishishi, I look forward to it!" Luffy grinned,raising up both his fists.

Crocodile furrowed his brows as he shifted into sand again, reforming himself directly in front of Luffy and thrusting his right palm towards Luffy's chest.

" **Sand Bara!** "

Sand poured out from Crocodile's hand and spread itself on Luffy's chest, rapidly covering his entire body and hardening.

Crocodile smirked as he watched the sand engulf the Marine, entombing him in the sand coffin.

"As I thought, you're all talk." Crocodile took a step back, looking down at the statue.

Before he could turn his back to Luffy, cracks appeared all over the hardened sand and shattered, revealing the empty space inside.

" **Freestyle Armament** "

Luffy grinned behind the still confused Shichibukai, his whole body turning a glossy black colour.

Crocodile barely had time to gasp as he was blasted forward from two impacts on his back, crashing into a nearby wall before he could dematerialize himself.

"What…" Crocodile shoved the debris out of the way, trying to push himself back on his feet only to see Luffy standing over him with his right fist poised in the air.

Crocodile could only watch as the fist descended upon his face, punching him through the wall to end up at another of the palace's courtyards.

He desperately dematerialized himself as he felt Luffy approaching him again at high speed, dispersing himself into the sand beneath the ground.

Luffy grinned as he spun himself mid air and smashed his fist down into the ground, creating a shockwave that blasted most of the sand into the air.

Closing his eyes calmly, he activated his Observation haki as piles of sand surrounded him in the air. In an instant, he locked on to his target and leapt upwards, kicking at a pile of sand from underneath and sending the rematerialized Crocodile higher up into the air.

The airborne Shichibukai did his best to gather as much sand as he could on to his palm, aiming it at the Marine that was rushing towards him in that instant.

" **Sables!** "

" **Freestyle Armament: Rankyaku!** "

The sand tornado and air blade smashed against each other, sending out a small shockwave that blasted both Marine and pirate away from each other.

"You impudent Marine!" Crocodile yelled, rematerializing himself behind Luffy with his hook poised in the air.

Luffy ducked underneath the slash before twisting his body around on a foot and delivering a satisfying roundhouse kick into Crocodile's face, sending him crashing into another wall.

Once again, Crocodile pushed himself up from the ground, breathing heavily as he glared hard at the Marine standing across him.

"You're just a damn Commodore, why do you possess such strength?!"

Luffy grinned at the pirate's frustration, "It is not that I am strong, it's just that you can only destroy and not protect anything, that is why you are weaker than me."

"Bullshit! Only the strong will have the power to destroy! Being able to destroy anything is proof of one's strength!"

"You're wrong," Luffy shook his head slowly. "The strong are those who can protect what they treasure, and you have no such thing. That is why you are weaker than me."

"You dare!"

Crocodile lunged at him, punching his right fist at Luffy.

Luffy somersaulted above Crocodile, kicking both his feet downwards and sending Crocodile crashing into the sand below, blasting out a huge shockwave and creating a crater of sand.

Crocodile flicked his hands towards the still airborne Commodore, sending spires of sand crashing into him and blasting Luffy into a nearby wall.

" **Desert Spada!** "

Luffy barely had time to raise up both his arms and deflect the sand blade away from him.

" **Sables!** "

Crocodile throws up another sandstorm, concentrating it around himself and increasing its size and velocity gradually until it enveloped the whole courtyard.

Luffy stood his ground as pieces of sand blasted against him, his haki protecting him from serious injury.

"Why?! Why do you try so hard to protect something that isn't even yours?!" Crocodile yelled, increasing the intensity of the sandstorm.

Small cuts started appearing on Luffy as he continued bracing himself against the storm.

Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration as he saw Luffy not wavering an inch, "This country is filled with worthless people! With a simple trick, they turned against the very king they had placed their absolute trust in! Not even caring that they would destroy their country with their own hands!"

Luffy said nothing as he concentrated on strengthening his haki.

"And the king is just as pathetic as the rest! He cared too much about the people and neglected the country! Everyone in this country is weak!"

"You're wrong!" Luffy finally yelled back. "Everyone in this country is fighting to protect what they treasure the most! They are willing to put their lives on the line and attempt the impossible just so that they can protect the things important to them!"

"And what has that achieved? This country is on the verge of collapse and its people can barely save it!"

Luffy gritted his teeth, "You did not see how they struggled… Everyone struggled to save this country but they were all led astray by you!"

"Ha! All I had to do was to give a little push and they started destroying themselves! I barely played a part in any of this!"

"No, you used the fact that everyone loved this country to instigate this civil war… People like Vivi had to suffer because of it."

Crocodile snorted in disdain, "That little princess? True, it surprised me a little when I found out who she was... But in the end she still failed to do anything!"

"She managed to get to us, and I promised her I will beat you!"

"Meddlesome Marines and your twisted sense of Justice…"

Luffy pointed a finger at Crocodile, "I ask you one last time, Shichibukai Crocodile, surrender!"

"Never," Crocodile lunged towards the Marine, directing piles of sand towards the stationary Marine while still keeping his sandstorm up.

" **Freestyle Armament: Tekkai** "

Luffy braced against sand barrage without flinching and immediately countered with an uppercut when Crocodile tried to slash him with his hook.

Crocodile spat out the blood in his mouth as he glared daggers at Luffy, "You've done it now…"

He slowly pulled the tip of his hook until it revealed the nasty looking greenish tip underneath.

"This one's coated in a deadly poison and just one slash of it is enough to kill a man, much less an impudent Marine like you!"

" **Freestyle Armament: Shigan Rankyaku** "

Luffy shot the air bullet that cleanly cut through the end of the hook, watching with mild interest as the blade landed on the floor with a resounding clang.

Crocodile stared slack jawed at his hook.

"Shishishi, as I said Crocy, you're weaker than me," Luffy grinned.

"AAARRGGHHH!"

Crocodile, blinded with rage, tried to punch Luffy with his broken hook.

Luffy ducked underneath the blow and punched upwards towards Crocodile's abdomen, sending him flying into the air.

" **Soru!** "

Luffy launched himself into the air, just above the airborne Crocodile.

" **Freestyle Armament: Tekkai Sai!** "

Luffy smashed himself into Crocodile, sending him flying back down into the courtyard and smashing into the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of sand with a satisfying boom.

Luffy landed beside the crater, staring down at the unconscious Shichibukai who now lay facedown in the sand.

"Crocodile, with my authority as Commodore of the Marines, you are hereby stripped of your place as Shichibukai and will be brought into custody."

With that, Luffy sat down heavily beside the crater with a long sigh.

"Urgh, Freestyle Armament really puts a lot of strain on the body... It lets me use other skills on top of haki but it still tires me out too quickly…"

"Still that was rather well done, Mr. Commodore," a voice commented from behind.

"Shishishi, thanks. Eh? You were still here?"

Luffy turned around to see Nico Robin standing behind him with a slight smile on her face.

"I had to know if I could be free from his control after all. And if you could actually keep your promise."

Luffy grinned proudly, "Of course! I always keep my promises!"

"Then may I ask for your pardon? I was forced to work against my will under him, after all." Robin tilted her head slightly, trying to get him to agree with her.

She had honestly thought this young Commodore as nothing but a simple minded Marine officer whom she could manipulate to get herself out.

"Before that, your name is Nico Robin, right?" The smile disappeared from Luffy's face.

Robin noticed the sudden change in the young man's demeanor, and a trickle of sweat rolled down her neck. She stared hard at the Marine, eyes darting between his hands and face. She was starting to think that perhaps she wasn't the one manipulating him after all, she might have been the one to be manipulated instead.

"Why… Why do you want to know?"

Luffy stood up slowly from the crater, turning his back on the defeated Crocodile to face her, "When I was still training to be a Marine… I was put under Aokiji as an apprentice…"

Robin shivered as though the Admiral himself stood in front of her, she could almost swear the temperature dropped a few degrees around her.

Luffy took a step forward and before she could stop herself, Robin found herself taking a step back as well.

"I was told by my teacher to eliminate you as soon as I found you…"

Robin was already halfway in turning around to run as Luffy lunged towards her.


	22. Chapter 22: Among the Ashes

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry for leaving you guys hanging on the cliff for so long. Finally managed to finish this from the free time I managed to scrape out, posting's going to come out in May so I'm seriously hoping the army doesn't put me somewhere crazy again._

 _Just crossing my fingers and praying that I'll be having more time once these two months are over...  
_

 _In the meantime, enjoy :D_

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _In a remote port town somewhere in the Grand Line, a Marine battleship was moored along the coastline, watching over the town like a silent guardian._

 _On the deck of said battleship, Aokiji was leaning back on his lounge chair with his sleep mask pulled over his eyes. Luffy sat rocking on a chair beside him, reading out the reports he held in his hand to his mentor._

" _From Marine Headquarters, the eighty million beri pirate Dan Silvers is scheduled to be executed within the week. They are requesting for a battleship escort to transport the prisoner from Impel Down…"_

 _Luffy looked up from the reports at his mentor, tilting his head to the side._

" _Teacher, how do we decide how much bounty to put on a criminal?"_

 _Aokiji answered without lifting his mask, "it's decided on how big of a threat they are to the World Government."_

" _Then what did Nico Robin do to earn such a high bounty?"_

" _Luffy," Aokiji gave a sigh. "We talked about this before, you're better off not knowing…"_

 _Luffy frowned, he didn't like all the secrecy. He already had his share of it while in CP9 and it sickened him to always hear the same excuse over and over again._

" _You're better off not knowing."_

 _So what was he supposed to do? Continue to follow his orders blindly? He didn't choose to be a Marine for all this secrecy._

 _He looked up at his mentor once more, "Please teacher, I want to know what she did. I don't think I can deal with killing her without knowing what crimes she committed to warrant such a bounty..."_

 _Aokiji sighed deeper this time, "Luffy, really, you don't want to know…"_

" _Teacher… please, I…"_

" _Alright, alright…" Aokiji sat up suddenly, pulling his sleep mask away. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"_

 _For the next hour, Aokiji explained in detail the events that unfolded in Ohara, about the truth behind Robin's bounty and how her existence was a threat to the World Government._

 _All the while, Luffy had took it all in, his anger rising with each passing minute._

" _That means her sentence is unjustified!" Luffy protested._

 _Aokiji shrugged, "that's how things work around here, Luffy. The ones in power will always want to protect themselves and the powerless ones are the ones to suffer."_

 _Luffy gritted his teeth, "This isn't fair… She's not a criminal!"_

" _Unfortunately, she is one in the eyes of the World Government. I know how you feel about this, Luffy… But if you value you and your grandfather's position, I'd suggest that you not voice your opinions so openly."_

 _Luffy winced, knowing full well what would happen should he be charged with treason._

" _Isn't there anything I can do to save her?"_

 _Aokiji raised an eyebrow, "If you're adamant about saving her, it'll be up to you to find a way…"_

" _I'll do it!" Luffy yelled confidently._

 _Aokiji held up a finger, "But if I were to find her first, I will do everything in my power to eliminate Nico Robin."_

* * *

Robin came to a halt as Luffy appeared in front of her, both his hands raised in a placating gesture.

"I know the truth behind your bounty."

Robin glared at him while crossing her arms in front of her, "What do you know?!"

Six hands appeared around Luffy's body, grasping on to his limbs and neck.

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait! I don't mean to-"

" **Seis Fleur: Clutch!** "

" **Tekkai!** "

Luffy resisted against the submission move with all his might while Robin used all her strength to push down on his limbs.

Luffy gritted his teeth, "Nico Robin! I have no intention to harm you!"

"Lies! You're his apprentice! There's no way you're any different from **him**!" Robin furrowed her brows, increasing the pressure on Luffy.

" **Armament!** "

" **Ocho Fleur: Flip!** "

Two more arms appeared on Luffy's back as the other arms altered their hold on him, attempting to flip him on his head instead.

" **Kami-e!** "

Luffy let his body go limp, letting the arms flip him but instead of crashing into the ground, he floated gently downwards, as though he was just laying himself down.

"Listen! I can help you!" Luffy yelled out frantically, pushing himself up when the hands disappeared.

"Impossible! A Marine like you would never help someone like me!" Robin cried, fury evident in her voice.

"Listen! I can try to-"

" **Trienta Fleur: Clutch!** "

Thirty arms appeared all around Luffy, grasping on to him with incredible force.

" **Freestyle Armament: Tekkai!** "

Luffy furrowed his brows as he resisted the submission move again.

"Robin! I don't agree with what they did to you! I'm trying to help you!"

"Why would you help a criminal like me?!" Robin glared at him.

"I'm not a believer of absolute justice! Just hear me out! If I intended to kill you I would've done so already!"

Robin gritted her teeth but finally relaxed her hands, dematerializing the other hands that held on to Luffy.

"What makes you think you have any power to help me in the first place? The words of a Commodore shouldn't hold much weight in Marine command."

"I have a number of connections I can use."

Robin raised an eyebrow, though her glare didn't diminish, "Connections that can supercede the words of a Marine Admiral?"

"Well…. Sort of… Besides, not everyone has to know that I've put you under my wing. The Marines have other things to worry about."

"Things like?"

"The Revolutionaries for example," Luffy grinned mischievously.

Robin frowned at him, his actions didn't match what she thought he would do.

"You told me you were named Monkey D. Luffy, yes?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Garp the Fist, would you?"

Luffy brightened at the name, "he's my Grandpa! Do you know him?"

Robin let a very slight smile cross her face, "I know him for someone who never likes following the norm."

"Shishishi! It runs in the family!"

Robin watched the Marine in front of her carefully, "I guess that explains some things… How are you planning to save me then?"

"Join my crew as a Marine," Luffy grinned innocently.

Robin stared at him incredulously, letting the silence drag on for a long moment.

"Mr. Commodore…" Robin sighed finally. "I'm a criminal… No one will ever accept me as a Marine… No one sane enough in Marine command will ever accept my Marine application."

"I will!" Luffy pouted.

"Even if you do, it's not enough to override my status as a criminal."

"It'll work out somehow!"

"Mr. Commodore… I don't think things are that easy…"

"Well, you can use your knowledge to help the Marines?"

Robin scowled, "I'd rather kill myself than let those disgusting monsters use me to further their own agendas. And therein lies the problem Mr. Commodore, even if I am accepted as a Marine, the World Government would still come after me regardless. The Marines is not a safe place for me."

Luffy thumped his chest proudly, "I'll protect you, Robin. I won't let any harm come to you."

Robin was slightly taken aback, it was the first time anyone had said that to her with his level of honesty.

"I don't understand, why are you trying so hard for someone you barely know? Aren't you doing this so you can get something from me?"

Luffy grinned, "because I'm a Marine, I protect the innocent. I don't need any other reason for that."

Robin blinked, speechless at the Commodore's answer.

"I do have to warn you though, my teacher is still adamant about getting rid of you, so if you see him, run in the other direction."

"I… I see…" Robin nodded slowly, her eyes not leaving Luffy. "Why don't you give me some time to think about it? I'll give you an answer when I have decided?"

"Shishishi! Alright! I'll be looking forward to your answer!"

Robin turned to leave, already making plans to leave the country as soon as she could. But what Luffy said next brought shivers down her spine.

"Robin, Aokiji said he would do everything in his power to eliminate you… Let me protect you."

Robin peeked at the Commodore from the corner of her eye, all the carefree attitude was replaced by a cold seriousness, as though his jovialness from earlier was a mirage.

Robin shuddered at the thought and simply nodded before leaving.

Luffy watched her disappear around the corner of a building before slumping down on the floor once more, his breaths coming out in gasps. Throughout the whole exchange with Robin, he kept up his facade of being alright, but in reality he was already exhausted from the fight with Crocodile.

"Ha… Ha… I'm still too weak… Just a few moments of using Freestyle Armament and I'm already this exhausted… I need to get stronger…"

Luffy got the idea of Freestyle Armament from Jabra's Tekkai Kempo, combining his haki with his Rokushiki skills in order to enhance them. It allowed him to increase the power of his Rokushiki techniques up to three times the original but doing so puts a lot of stress on his body, tiring him out easily.

He smacked the sides of his cheeks lightly, "Alright! I can't rest now! There's still the bomb to take care of!"

Luffy pushed himself up, ignoring the various pain that his body was going through and made a beeline towards the clocktower in the distance with Soru.

He arrived to find Smoker and Hina staring up at the clocktower, a rather prominent looking cannon barrel sticking out from the clockface.

Hina noticed their Commodore standing behind them, "Luffy? What happened to Crocodile?"

"Sleeping in the palace courtyard, Shishishi!"

"You don't look all that well though," Smoker noted how Luffy's breaths were more ragged than usual.

Luffy just waved his hand nonchalantly, "I'm just worn out from the fight, that's all. I'll be fine. More importantly, we'll have to take care of the bomb."

All three of them looked up at the clocktower again.

"Well, no doubt on where the bomb is," Smoker grunted.

Hina nodded, "We just have to get up there then."

"So what's the plan? Take the stairs up?" Smoker glanced at Luffy.

"We'll fly up," Luffy grinned.

"Hina shall be in your care then, Luffy." Hina held out her arms towards the Commodore.

Luffy lifted her up in a princess carry, making sure that she had a firm grip on him before nodding to Smoker.

" **Geppo!** "

" **White Launcher!** "

Luffy kicked himself up into the air while Smoker blasts himself upwards with his smoke alongside him, both of them reaching the clock face at the same time. Two figures are seen laughing and dancing behind the cannon.

"Ohohoh! It's a great day today isn't it, Miss Faaather's Daaay?"

"Ribbit! Ribbit! That's right Mr. 7! We'll definitely be promoted after this mission!"

" **Torikako!** "

Hina thrusted an arm out towards the agents, sending a black colored bar that stretched from her palm and smashed itself against the agents. The bar split itself apart and enveloped them, trapping both in their individual lock bars. While Miss Father's Day was still recovering from the shock, Hina kicked her across the head, smashing her unconscious towards the wall.

" **White Blow!** "

Smoker punched out his fist that dissipated into smoke to crush against Mr. 7, smashing him against the other wall of the clocktower and rendering him unconscious.

The three Marines stepped into the clocktower, ignoring the subdued agents that lay sprawled in both corners of the room.

Luffy took a look down the barrel of the cannon, finding the bomb sitting at the end of it and a very conspicuous clock counting down on the surface of the bomb.

Luffy clucked his tongue in irritation, "It's on a timer…"

Both Hina and Smoker furrowed their brows at this.

"Damn it, that damn pirate thought of this too, didn't he?!" Smoker spat.

"Vexing… Hina is vexed… What shall we do?"

Luffy climbed into the barrel of the cannon, pulling out the bomb behind him.

"We'll throw this up into the air and let it explode above the city."

Smoker stared at him incredulously, "You think you can throw it high enough such that the city isn't affected by the blast? This thing was supposed to take out a huge chunk of the city, we'll have to at least throw it as high as those Drum Rockies to be sure it doesn't cause any damage!"

Luffy grinned mischievously, "That's where you come in, Smokey!"

Smoker's jaw dropped, "No… No, no, no, no, no…. You aren't thinking of…"

Hina stifled her laughter as she saw the sparkles in Luffy's eyes, "Hina believes he is, Smoker."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Smoker sighed dejectedly, stepping out onto the edge of the clock face.

"What's wrong? You already did it once before!"

"Just because I did it for you when you're sick doesn't mean I like it, you know?!"

"Come on Smokey, we're doing this to save a country after all!" Luffy laughed, jumping on to Smoker's shoulders while holding on to the bomb with a hand.

Smoker just grunted as he stepped further out of the clock tower, looking up at the sky and ignoring the still laughing Commodore he had riding on his shoulders.

"I'm only going to do this once, ya hear?" Smoker growled at Luffy.

"You better hurry, Smoker, the clock is ticking," Hina giggled from behind, trying not to laugh at the scene.

"Tsk, better hold on tight then, Luffy…" Smoker said offhandedly.

Luffy immediately grabbed a fistful of hair with glee.

"Ow! OW! Not the hair! Damn it!"

"But you told me to hold on tight!" Luffy whined.

"Forget it! Just don't fall off!" Smoker yelled, already changing the bottom half of his body into smoke.

Without so much as a warning, Smoker exploded himself upwards, carrying both Luffy and the bomb as high up into the sky as he could.

"This is as far as I can go!" Smoker yelled.

"Thanks Smokey!"

Luffy leapt off Smoker's shoulders, gripping tightly on the still ticking bomb.

" **Freestyle Armament: Geppo!** "

A loud boom was heard as Luffy kicked the air underneath him, blasting him higher up into the sky with the bomb trailing behind him in his right hand.

With a loud yell, Luffy tossed the bomb up into the sky, watching it disappear into the clouds to explode safely. The Commodore gritted his teeth as pain coursed through his body from using his skill, almost as though his muscles were ripping themselves to shreds.

"Well… At least the city's safe now…" Luffy sighed, letting himself freefall back to the ground.

Except the bomb didn't explode above the clouds.

All three Marine officers watched in horror as the bomb began plummeting back towards them.

"Damn it! Did we throw it too early?" Smoker cursed, landing on the roof of the clock tower in a cloud of smoke.

"Smoker! Do you think you can get back up there again?!" Hina yelled from the clock face.

Smoker glanced at the freefalling Luffy, "The air's too thin up there! I can't even reach to where Luffy is now!"

" **Freestyle Armament: Geppo!** "

Luffy coughed painfully as he felt his body protest against the use of his skill again, he could already feel himself nearing his limit and even his vision was getting blurry.

Blasting himself up once more, he gripped the bomb firmly as he rushed past it, taking note of the clock that continued ticking, mere seconds away from detonation.

' _I'm not going to make it..._ ' Luffy realized.

" **Freestyle Armament: Tekkai Sai!** "

Luffy kicked the air below him once more, feeling the muscles in his legs tear itself. An even louder boom rocked through the air as he broke the sound barrier, the air pressure tearing at his body as he felt his body being torn apart. His limbs were bleeding and he was pretty sure several of his ribs were broken too. The edges of his vision began to darken as he felt the air forced out of his lungs, he could also feel the bruises that were starting to form around his body.

Luffy had a second to find it amusing that he was doing more damage to himself than Crocodile did to him during their fight.

He only had just began to throw the bomb before it detonated right above him, sending him spiralling back down to the ground.

"LUFFY!" both Marine Captains screamed.

By now everyone within several hundred kilometers had heard the explosion as the city of Alubarna was lighted up with a blinding flash of light.

A distance away from the palace, a group of people on Super Spot Billed Ducks glanced up at the sky in shock.

Cobra gaped at the sky, "Don't… Don't tell me that was supposed to go off... in the middle of the city…"

"Crocodile…" Vivi bit down on his name with anger plain in her voice.

Sanji squinted his eyes, "Wait… is that someone falling from the sky?"

Everyone finally noticed the small dot that was currently tumbling down towards the ground in their direction.

Usopp adjusted his goggles' magnification and focused it on the figure, gasping when he finally realized who it was.

"It's Luffy!"

"WHAT?!" Every member of the Straw Hat Marines exclaimed.

Chopper gaped at his falling Commodore, "How did he manage to get so high up? Can he fly?"

"Why isn't he stopping himself from falling?" Zoro frowned.

Sanji widened his eyes in realization, "It can't be… He can't stop himself?"

"What do we do?! Pell and Chaka are still negotiating with the former rebels!" Vivi cried out.

All the while, Luffy continued his descent towards the ground with no sign of slowing down.

Nami gritted her teeth, "We need to save him!"

Each of the Strawhats looked at each other and nodded once, knowing what must be done.

"Dartbrow! I need a lift! Chopper, we're counting on you! Your Majesty! Please continue on without us!" Zoro yelled out while dismounting, already in the process of unsheathing his swords.

"You have my utmost gratitude Marines!" Cobra shouted back, spurring his Super Spot Billed Duck onwards.

Sanji glared at him, "You better be grateful for this you bastard!"

"Leave it to me!" Chopper tapped his chest enthusiastically.

Nami assembled her two remaining staffs, "Usopp! With your Flame Star I can create a small updraft! It should at least give them a bit of height!"

"I got it!" Usopp whipped out his slingshot with a flourish.

Chopper stepped gingerly onto Zoro's blades while Zoro got into position in front of Sanji. Nami had her bubbles surrounding her with Usopp backing her up with his slingshot loaded and ready.

"Let's do this!" All the Straw Hats yelled out simultaneously.

Zoro ran towards Sanji who had his legs outstretched, jumping onto his leg.

"You better make it!" Sanji yelled, kicking his leg up with an explosive force towards the sky.

"Usopp! Now!" Nami swung her staff in an arc, directing all the bubbles into the air.

Usopp released the shot on his slingshot at the same time, sending a great ball of fire into the air and popping the air bubbles Nami created. The air rapidly heated up and a rather forceful gale was created, further boosting Zoro higher up into the air.

"It's all you now, Chopper!" Zoro yelled.

"I got it! **Rumble!** " Chopper quickly swallowed his rumble ball as he felt Zoro's speed decrease.

" **Jumping Point!** "

"Go!"

Zoro gritted his teeth as he slashed up his swords with all his might feeling his body protesting against it, all his wounds from his battle with Mr. 1 bursting open dangerously.

Chopper jumped up with all his might at the same time, determined not to let his fellow nakama's efforts go to waste in saving their Commodore, catapulting himself straight towards the still falling Luffy.

Within seconds, Chopper caught the unconscious Marine in his arms, his medical eye already examining the wounds that were present all over his body.

"Three… Five… Seven broken ribs, lacerations, mild concussion… Breathing is strained... "

Chopper frowned slightly, there seemed to be even more internal injuries judging from the bruises all over his body but he didn't have the luxury of diagnosing him now.

" **Guard Point!** "

Chopper transformed himself again, his fur expanding outwards and enveloping Luffy as they began their descent back towards the ground.

Before they fell too far, a huge mass of bubbles appeared from underneath them, enveloping Chopper and slowing his descent.

"Success!" Nami fist-pumped the air proudly.

"Well, now we have one less problem to worry about, no thanks to this guy," Sanji nudged the Marine swordsman that had collapsed into a heap on the floor ever since he came back down, not particularly caring that he was already bleeding badly.

"Shut up… I just need to sleep," Zoro groaned, shoving Sanji's foot away.

"Chopper's not going to be happy," Usopp commented from the side.

"Whatever," Zoro rolled his eyes.

The four Straw Hats watched as the bubbles and Chopper descended gracefully on to the ground with a soft 'plop', depositing the reindeer safely on the ground.

Chopper changed out of his Guard Point and gently laid Luffy down on the ground.

Everyone grimaced as they saw the condition their Commodore was in. Both his arms were obviously broken while nasty cuts and bruises adorned almost every visible part of his body. It was definitely a sight they were not used to seeing from their Commodore.

Nami had both her hands covering her mouth in shock, "Did Crocodile do this to him?"

"If i get my hands on him…" Zoro cursed softly, barely standing on his own two legs while Sanji supported him by his side.

"Chopper, how is he?" Sanji frowned.

"He… He'll be fine right?" Usopp tried to stop his voice from shaking.

Chopper was already fussing over their Commodore, doing his best to stop the bleeding and patching him up as best as he could from what little equipment he had.

"We need to get him back to the palace, most of my equipment are there… There's only so much I can do here…"

The crew carefully mounted the Super Spot Billed Ducks again, securing Luffy to Chopper's Duck before speeding their way back to the city, joining up with a flustered Smoker and an even more flustered Hina on the way.

* * *

Over the next few days, the country came to learn about Crocodile's treachery and the existence of his criminal organization. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole country rejoiced when the civil war was finally put to an end and their faith in their king was not for naught.

The rebels were officially declared to be innocent and under no circumstances were any of them who were not part of Baroque Works to be treated like a criminal. Knowing that the whole war was a mistake from the start, they happily threw down their arms and gathered their tools to rebuild the country once more alongside the people.

The king himself came forward to announce the heroic actions from the Marines that have aided them and had declared them the heroes of the country, with promises of celebration and awards when Luffy recovers.

Hina had taken upon herself to round up the rest of Baroque Works with Smoker's rather unwilling help, effectively dissolving the entire organization. Crocodile himself was placed under arrest and shipped off to the nearest Marine base in cuffs. Though a few members of the officer agents managed to escape before the hunt was mounted, they decided they were not worth the effort since they already got their leader.

For the Commodore himself, he was only unconscious for a day and a night and was already back to his usual cheerful self and running around the next morning despite Chopper's protests.

"Luffy! I'm telling you! You still need to rest!"

"Eh? But I'm already fine now, Chopper! Shishishi!"

The other Straw Hat Marines watched in disbelief as their reindeer doctor chased the straw hat wearing Commodore around the room.

Cobra had insisted that the heroes recuperate within the rooms he had personally granted them, making sure all their needs were met.

"He's awfully full of energy for some reason," Usopp tilted his head in wonder.

"And you never would've guessed how serious his injuries were the other day…" Nami nodded.

At that moment, Vivi walked into the room with a pile of clean sheets in her arms with Carue in a similar state following closely behind.

"Good morning guys, it's nice to see that everyone is up again," Vivi smiled brightly.

"Vivi-chwaaan! You're all I need to make me better!" Sanji pirouetted towards her.

Before Sanji could get within a feet of her, Luffy jumped on him, smashing him into the ground before rolling away to avoid Chopper.

"Sorry Sanji! Shishishi!"

"Luffy! Someone please stop him before he hurts himself again!"

"Gosh Chopper, I really don't think our Commodore can get hurt that easily…" Nami sighed, walking over to help Vivi with the sheets.

"Thanks Nami. It's great that he's fine now, I remember how worried everyone was when you guys brought him back in that state."

Nami huffed, "Most of the time we wonder if he's actually human."

The two girls laid down the sheets by the side, piling them up neatly for Chopper to use for changing bandages.

Vivi watched as Luffy continued jumping around the room, laughing as he did so. This time Usopp had joined Chopper in chasing him, although it was more of a game to the sniper than anything else.

She couldn't help but smile at the scene, "My father has arranged the celebration to be held tonight seeing how the main star has recovered."

"About time too, how are the people holding up?" Nami blatantly ignored what was going on behind her.

"Everything's fine, the people are just happy that the war is finally over and everyone can finally return to their homes. Though there's still remnants of Baroque Works, miss Hina is working really hard taking care of them. Besides, it rained for the first time in a long while just yesterday."

"I see, that's good to hear. You managed to save this country, Vivi."

Vivi punched Nami's shoulder playfully, "Please, you guys are the ones who saved this country. I couldn't have done it by myself."

Before Nami could respond, Luffy came bounding over with Chopper biting his shoulder in frustration at his stubbornness.

"Vivi! I heard we're having a party! Where is it?"

"Good morning Luffy, I'm glad to see you've recovered. Miss Hina wanted me to tell you that she already handled Crocodile so you don't have to worry about it." Vivi smiled at him.

"Shishishi! Thanks Vivi! But more importantly, where's the party?"

Nami smacked him on the head, "Can't you think about anything other than food? This place just barely avoided a full blown civil war here!"

"Nami! Don't hit him! He hasn't fully recovered!" Chopper protested before turning to the swordsman that was leaning against the wall. "Zoro! You took off your bandages again didn't you?! How many times did I tell you not to do that already!"

The door opened again to reveal a bandaged Igaram pushing a tray piled high with fruits. Beside him were Mr. 9 and Miss Monday.

"Ah, it's great to see the heroes all up and well, I hope everything here is to your liking?"

"Oh! Curly hair guy! You made it back!" Luffy waved at him enthusiastically.

"What? When did they?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"They came back here yesterday. Around the same time when we were headed back to Alubarna, they landed on Nanohana." Vivi explained.

Mr. 9 immediately knelt down on the ground in front of Vivi, "To not know that I've been beside genuine royalty and still continuously claim myself to be one… Please forgive this one's insolence!"

Miss Monday knelt down as well, "To be unaware of the harm that our actions have been doing to our friend, I'll accept any form of punishment!"

Vivi gasped and immediately pulled them up, "Please guys, it's not really a big deal! Everything is fine now and you don't need to treat me any differently than before! We're still friends!"

"To hear such compassionate words… Such is the difference between true royalty and one that pretends to be one!" Mr. 9 began wailing comically.

Miss Monday grasped Vivi's hands in gratitude, "Truly, thank you. If i have to serve you my whole life to repay back the wrongs I've done, so be it!"

Vivi was at a loss of words after witnessing their actions, fortunately Igaram came to her rescue.

Pulling the two former agents back on their feet before pushing them out through the door with him, "Don't worry princess, they'll help me with the preparations for tonight. In the meantime, why don't all of you enjoy these fruits first?"

"Don't mind if we do," Sanji grinned, already appraising one of the fruits.

"I want meeeeeat…" Luffy groaned, poking at the pile of fruits in front of him.

* * *

Cobra stood at the head of the dining table, a goblet of wine raised in his hands. Princess Vivi took the seat on his left while the heroes sat flanking both sides of the table after her. Hina and Smoker sat themselves on both sides of Luffy, while the rest of the Straw Hat Marines occupied the seats after them.

Various tables were also spread out in the room with many important figures attending the celebration seated.

On the tables, huge varieties of delicacies was spread out that was made with the utmost care of the various royal cooks alongside Igaram's wife Terracotta, enough to make anyone's mouth water at the sight of it.

Everyone there was dressed their best, all the men had donned their best suits and those who didn't have one found theirs from the Royal Tailor who had made sure the heroes looked the part that night. Even Chopper had one made for him though both Usopp and Chopper constantly whined about how unnecessary it was until Nami yelled at them.

Nami herself was wrapped in a black silk dress that reached all the way to her ankles and revealed much of her cleavage, easily sending Sanji into a seizure after he saw her.

"With this toast to our heroes, we thank them once more for saving this country in our greatest time of need!"

Everyone present in the room raised their glasses to the toast and gave a yell of agreement.

"As the king, I give you Marines my utmost gratitude. To show a small part of our thanks, we hold this banquet in your honour!"

Cobra raised his goblet again as everyone cheered for the Marines, signalling the start of the banquet.

It was rather surprising for the Straw Hats to find their Commodore completely transformed into a different person the moment he put on his suit. He acted with more grace and even acted rather gentlemanly. He even refrained from eating the food until the toast was over.

When pressed for an explanation, he only made vague mumbles about "attending a ball" and "acting the part".

However, all that went out the window the moment he laid his hands on the food. His previous "gentlemanly" figure dissipated like a mirage as he gulped down the food in front of him, quickly emptying the plates of food that were laid out before him.

"So that's where our Commodore went, I was suspecting that he may have gotten switched with that okama." Zoro grinned before proceeding to drink the wine from the bottle.

"Ah… and here i thought I was going to have a quiet dinner for once," Nami sighed with a slight smile on her lips, idly poking her food with a fork.

"Luffy! Stop stealing my food! Go get your own!" Usopp yelled out indignantly, waving his fist menacingly in the air as Luffy continued to stuff his mouth with food.

"Hey, may I know the recipe for this dish?" Sanji asked one of the waiters scurrying around.

"Luffy! I already told you to not eat too much! You're still recovering!" Chopper shouted.

"Heh, at least it's not as bad as the Officer's Ball we were forced to go," Smoker smirked in amusement.

"Hina is satisfied," Hina laughed.

Everyone else in the room could only gape in shock at how the atmosphere of the room changed so suddenly. Seeing the well dressed Marines acting rowdy around the table while tossing things around the place completely destroyed the dignified appearance they had in the beginning.

Their shock soon gave way to smiles and laughter as Luffy, Chopper and Usopp began their usual dance on the table. Everyone was laughing their heart out and the previous serious atmosphere had all but dissipated like the sand that had once threatened the country.

Had someone else looked at this sight, they would never be able to tell that a terrible crisis was barely avoided just a few days ago as everyone threw caution to the winds and partied hard that night.

* * *

It was only until the deep hours of the night that the last person finally stumbled out of the room, the cleaning up could be done another day.

Luffy himself stood on one of the balconies of the palace overlooking the city, enjoying the cool midnight breeze alone.

"So i take it you have made up your mind?" Luffy grinned, turning around to see a cloaked Robin standing by the doorway.

"Mr. Commodore," Robin nodded towards him, showing neither hostility nor friendship. "Before I answer you, are you aware of the reason why Crocodile kept me here?"

Luffy shrugged, "I looked at the files… The poneglyph was it? I've seen one before but I have no idea what it's for."

"Of course you wouldn't," Robin sighed. "If you knew, you wouldn't so readily serve the World Government as you are now."

Luffy only tilted his head at her.

Robin shook her head, "It doesn't matter anyway. You want my answer? I'll give it to you on one condition, lead me to this country's poneglyph."

Luffy frowned, "That… Even I wouldn't know the location of that…"

"The king knows, I'm sure using your status as the… 'hero' of this country, he might just lead you to it." robin smiled mischievously.

"If that's the case," Luffy nodded once, already leading the way towards Cobra's room.

Without knocking, Luffy threw open the door just as Cobra was slipping into his sleep wear.

"Oh? Good evening Mr. Luffy, I hope the feast was to your liking."

"Shishishi, yes it was! The food was so good!" Luffy grinned, smacking his belly contentedly.

"Oh? And who might this be? I don't believe I've seen you before?" Cobra noticed the cloaked woman standing behind him.

"Good evening your majesty, I am Nico Robin, also the partner of Crocodile before his recent dismissal from the organization," Robin stepped forward, throwing back her hood.

Cobra glanced at Luffy who was busy picking the dirt out of his ear.

"I assume you came here for another reason other than revenge?"

"Yes, of course, I couldn't care less about him, I only partnered with him for the one thing that's hidden in your country… Where is the poneglyph?"

Cobra frowned at the mention of the name, "You… How did you know?"

Robin shrugged her shoulders, "It was our original goal from the start, though what our intentions to do with it differ. Crocodile wanted to use it, I wanted to read it."

"You can read the poneglyphs?" Cobra gasped slightly.

"Indeed, that's why Crocodile needed me after all." Robin smirked lightly.

"I see… But even so, I'm sorry, I can't just show you something that my family has been entrusted to protect all these years so easily."

"Well, you heard him, Mr. Commodore, looks like we both won't be getting what we came here for," Robin turned towards Luffy, shrugging her shoulders in mock defeat.

"Sorry snake guy, can we see the pone-what's-it pretty please?" Luffy grinned.

Cobra raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry Mr. Luffy… Even if it's you… This isn't the kind of thing can just be shown freely to anyone that asks…"

"Oh come on, it's not like anything's going to happen to it, right? After all, none of us here have any use of it anyway."

"But even so, there's a reason why we have to keep it away from others. The object itself coul-"

"Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please?" Luffy began grasping at Cobra's hands and shaking it up and down in a pleading manner.

Robin stifled a smile as she saw the Commodore acting like a spoilt child asking for a toy.

"Er… Mr. Luffy, calm down please, you have to understand I-"

"Don't wanna… Pleeeaaase…"

"It doesn't seem like he would take no for an answer, your majesty," Robin giggled slightly, still amused by Luffy's behavior.

Cobra sighed, "I guess… Alright, I'll take you two there… But please, this has to remain a secret…"

"Alright!" Luffy finally released Cobra.

Under the cover of the night, Cobra lead them out of the palace to the Royal Crypt through a secret passage, reaching outside its walls without anyone even aware of their disappearance. He led them down the secret staircase, through the corridors and finally to the room that housed the poneglyph.

Luffy frowned at the thing with distaste, he distinctly remembered how he was tasked to uncover one in his CP9 days. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a group of cultists who did not take kindly to any strangers. In the end, Luffy manage to complete his mission but the trail that led him to the poneglyph was littered with corpses.

"This is it…" Robin stepped up to the poneglyph silently while Luffy and Cobra hung back, watching her.

A few tense minutes passed before Robin sighed dejectedly, hanging her head limply.

"Four years of my life wasted away…" She turned towards Cobra, hopelessness clear in her eyes. "Is this the only thing here?"

Cobra affirmed with a nod.

"I see… Again another fruitless search…" Robin sighed again.

"Isn't this what you're looking for?" Luffy tilted his head at her.

Robin shook her head, "Tell me, Mr. Commodore… How much do you know about the Void Century?"

Luffy shrugged, "Never heard about it."

"Of course not, your Government outlawed the study of it…" Robin nodded to herself.

"And that's why they put a bounty on you isn't it? Because you can read these poneglyphs?" Luffy raised any eyebrow.

"You can say that… I've spent all my life looking for the Rio Poneglyph… The one thing that tells of the true history of this world, the one thing that your World Government has been intent on hiding."

Robin sighed again as tears welled up in her eyes, "All I ever wanted to know was history… And for that I had to be hunted like an animal for the last twenty years… All this fruitless searching until now, all this work… Meaningless… I'm tired of this already."

Robin swiped a knife from under her cloak, plunging the sharp blade to her neck. Her tears fell on to the floor as strength left her body, collapsing on to the floor in a heap.

"Why… Why won't you let me die?!" Robin screamed at Luffy who stood beside her, the blade of the knife in his hands, broken off at the handle.

"I'm tired of this! All the running, the scheming and all this work just to end up disappointed again and again! I have no desire to live anymore!" Robin glared at him with hatred in her eyes.

"You could join me."

"Impossible! If only things were that convenient! The moment I join you would be handing myself up to the World Government on a silver platter! How can I ever be safe among the ranks of the people who hunt me?!"

Luffy shrugged, "At least I can try, it's a better alternative to just giving up, no?"

Robin clenched her fists, clutching at the hems of her cloak, "So you can't guarantee me that it will work either… So why should I even consider your choice?"

"Well, seeing as how you already given up, why not we try out my way first? If I fail to do so, you can do whatever you want after that?" Luffy suggested.

Robin glared at the Commodore who only grinned back at her.

She let out a sigh before standing up, "I'll think about it… I'll let you know when I've decided…"

Without so much as a backward glance, she left the room, the clacking of her heels echoing through the chambers.

Cobra stared down the passageway that Robin disappeared into, "Mr. Luffy, if you don't mind me asking, why is a Marine like you trying so hard to save a criminal like her?"

"Because she isn't a criminal, and I want to protect everything that I can no matter what!" Luffy grinned.

Cobra couldn't help but smile at his proclamation, "I see, that's very admirable of you. If only more people share the same sentiment too..."

* * *

The next morning, a Marine convoy entered the palace led by Vice Admiral Momonga.

In the throne room of the palace, the Straw Hat Marines as well as Hina and Smoker were assembled before the king.

"As the king of Alabasta, I once again thank you for aiding us in our time of greatest need. I hereby confer all of you the title 'Heroes of Alabasta' and welcome all of you as members of the Royal Household. In addition, I wish to award each of you with the Desert Heart medal, the highest medal of honour in our country. Please step forward Commodore Luffy."

The gathered officials and Marine officers applauded as Luffy gingerly stepped forward with a grin plastered on his face.

Each of his crew were dressed in their own Marine attire this time, standing at rapt attention for the awards ceremony.

Luffy bowed to the king smartly in standaard Alabasta style, all of them having a crash course on Alabasta etiquette in the morning.

"Commodore Luffy, I thank you on behalf of this country."

Cobra took out a medal that an attendant held out on a golden tray, pinning it on Luffy's chest.

Luffy bowed again, rejoining the ranks among his crew mates.

The rest of the Straw Hats could only envy Luffy completing the whole process smoothly while each of them felt uncomfortable from the stares of everyone.

Usopp almost tripped on his way to the king but managed to save himself at the last second.

Sanji didn't move when his name was called and Zoro had to kick him before he finally moved from the rank.

Zoro almost forgot to bow to the king which resulted in an awkward silence for the first couple of seconds when he reached the king.

They had a step ladder brought out for Chopper who awkwardly climbed it to reach the king, almost falling off of it when he had to come down.

As nervous as she was, Nami was the only one who managed to make it back without any incident occurring.

Both Smoker and Hina also managed to receive their commendation without accident.

When the Straw Hats sighed in relief expecting the ceremony to be over, Momonga stepped forward this time.

Momonga bowed low to Cobra, "As a representative of Marine Headquarters, allow me to express my sincerest apologies for allowing the pirate Crocodile to hurt your country, your majesty."

He turned on his heel to face the Straw Hats, "Likewise, Headquarters would like to award these fellow brave Marines who stood up in this country's time of need and served justice to the criminals. It has been passed that all of you shall be promoted and awarded the 'Valiant Justice' medal. Commodore Luffy, to the front."

Luffy marched forward with the same grin on his face, saluting the Vice Admiral smartly.

"For your prowess and brilliant leadership, you are to be conferred the rank of Rear Admiral. Congratulations."

Momonga pinned the medal and new rank insignia on Luffy's jacket. Luffy saluted again before returning back to the file.

"Captain Smoker."

Smoker stepped forward with an air of boredom, ignoring Hina's glare that was piercing through his back.

"For your continued dedication in serving Justice, you shall be promoted to Commodore."

Smoker tried his best not to roll his eyes as he received his new rank and medal before returning to the file.

"Captain Hina."

Hina stepped forward quickly with the grace of someone having practised a million times, saluting the Vice Admiral smartly.

"For your dedication to the service and expertise, you are granted the rank of Commodore."

Hina received her rank and award with practised grace, falling back in line without a single mistake

"Commander Usopp."

Usopp stepped forward, determined not to make a mistake this time.

"For your admirable bravery, you are to be conferred the rank of Captain."

He presented a neatly folded Marine cloak that Usopp received with a slight tear in his eye. He saluted smartly and returned to the file with renewed determination.

"Commander Sanji, for your impressive culinary arts, you shall be named Captain."

Sanji saluted, ignoring the smirk he got from Zoro when he returned to the file.

"Commander Zoro, for your decisiveness on the battlefield, you are promoted to Captain."

Zoro grinned as he received his cloak and rank from Momonga, giving Luffy a slight nod when he rejoined his crew.

"Commander Nami, for your exceptional battle techniques, you are to be promoted to Captain."

Nami refrained from asking about any possible additional remuneration and monetary benefits from the promotion.

"Mr. Chopper."

Chopper did not forget that he was still not officially part of the Marines, only joining in on their mission part way through. He gulped nervously as he stepped on to the ladder prepared for him, reaching the Vice Admiral's chest level. Though he could have chosen to transform into his human form, everyone had agreed that it would look much better for him to remain in this form.

"Mr. Chopper, we have accepted your admission to the Marines under Rear Admiral Luffy's recommendation. We have also chosen to comply with his additional request of granting you the rank of Captain with Rear Admiral Luffy as your mentor with the condition of you remaining in the 'Straw Hat' unit. Only when he deems you suitable will your station be permanent. If you choose to be posted to another unit however, you would have to start as a recruit, do you accept these terms?"

Chopper sniffled as he thought about the lengths Luffy had to go to acquire these special treatment for him, he could only stare at Momonga with resolute determination and nodded in agreement.

"Then I welcome you as a Marine, Captain Chopper." Momonga passed the cloak and rank to Chopper, saluting him.

Chopper tried his best not to make a mess of the place with the tears constantly dripping down his face.

Momonga waited until everyone settled down again, clearing his throat for his final address, "I thank you Marines once again for dealing with these criminals in the name of Justice. Please continue with your hard work!"

With a final salute, the awards ceremony officially came to an end.

* * *

"A Marine Captain, never in my life… I look pretty awesome right, Chopper?" Usopp admired himself in front of the mirror, already having donned on his cloak the moment they returned to their rooms.

"Everyone looks awesome!" Chopper spun around happily, sparkles in his eyes.

"Nami swaaaan, the cloak looks perfect on you!" Sanji complimented, hearts spewing out from all over him.

"Thank you, Sanji," Nami replied offhandedly, her focus on the medal she held in front of her, wondering if it was worth anything monetary in value.

Zoro snorted, "As for you, it looks terrible on you, you might as well use some dirty tablecloth as your cloak instead."

"What did you say, you stupid marimo?!"

"You heard me, perverted dartbrow!"

"Luffy kuuun~~Hina's going to miss you~~" Hina pulled Luffy into a bear hug, ruffling his hair as she did so while ignoring whatever else was going on in the room.

"Be careful escorting the rest of the criminals, Hina! Don't work yourself too hard," Luffy grinned.

" _Rear Admiral_ Luffy," Smoker mock saluted him with a smirk. "I've received my new assignment from Headquarters so I'll be heading out as well."

"Shishishi! I'll see you around then, Smokey!" Luffy grinned, finally released from Hina's embrace.

Smoker grunted, already turning to leave, "Hmph, knowing you, you'll get into some other sort of trouble soon enough."

"I'll see you, Luffy, try not to go overboard this time, yes?" Hina ruffled his hair one last time.

Luffy waved happily as both Hina and Smoker left the room.

Luffy sighed contentedly as he turned back to regard his crew, having determined something, he coughed to get his crew's attention.

"Congratulations on your promotion guys, you're all Marine officers now. If any of you wish to, I can reassign any of you to other units as a commander of that unit, though you might have to go through a Marine Officer course first. I have no doubt in any of your abilities and I will do my best to ensure the unit you are assigned to would be the best place I can-"

"You can stop right there, Luffy," Zoro raised a hand, interrupting him. "If you think any of us will choose to abandon you after we have come this far and let this little promotion get over our heads, then you are sorely mistaken."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "we all chose to follow you on our own accord with our own agendas. I didn't choose to become a Marine just because of some noble sentiment like serving Justice. I came along to fulfill my ambition of being the strongest Swordsman."

Zoro stepped closer to Luffy until he was only a few steps away from the Rear Admiral, "You think I can achieve that ambition of mine while rotting away in some desolate Marine base doing nothing but _paperwork_? Besides, do you actually think I'll take orders from anyone else?"

Luffy shook his head dumbly.

Zoro crossed his arms with finality, "Everyone feels the same way here, Luffy. We're staying here whether you like it or not."

Luffy looked at each of his other crew members in the eyes.

Usopp thumped his chest proudly, "I set out to become a brave warrior of the sea, there's no way I'm going to be one if I'm not with you guys. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to go to Elbaf with you in the future!"

Sanji grinned, "I hardly think All Blue exists in an office on some Marine Base. You gave me the promise to let me sail with you to find it, I intend to let you keep that promise of yours, Luffy."

Chopper jumped up and down frantically while waving his arms, "Me… Me too! If it wasn't for Luffy, I wouldn't have set foot off Drum island! It might seem like I was forced to stay, but I want to have more adventures with everyone!"

Nami shrugged, "I still owe you for saving my home town... and it's definitely much more fun to stay with you guys. And besides…"

Nami stuck her tongue out while pinching her right index finger and thumb together, "I earn way more money by staying with you guys too!"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "It's always about the money huh, you witch."

"Don't call Nami a witch you brute!" Sanji shook his fist at Zoro.

"You're no different you damn ero-cook!"

"I'm glad to see everyone in high spirits," Vivi smiled, walking into the room.

Sanji immediately pirouetted towards her, "Vivi chwaaaaan~~"

"Vivi!" Nami rushed up and hugged her, pushing Sanji away in the process.

"I saw Commodore Hina and Smoker leaving just now, are you guys going off soon?" Vivi hugged Nami back.

Everyone looked at the Rear Admiral who only gave a small shrug, "We have our orders, we'll be leaving early morning tomorrow."

"I see, it's going to be rather lonely here without you guys," Vivi smiled sadly.

"You can always come with us," Zoro suggested.

Sanji immediately leapt up on his feet, smacking Zoro across the head, "She's a princess! How can you even suggest her to be a Marine?!"

"It's ok, Sanji, I had thoughts about joining you guys too. But I still have my duties as the princess here so I'm unfortunately unable to do that." Vivi finally released Nami, smiling at her friend.

"It's ok, Vivi! We'll come back to see you! We definitely will!" Nami grinned.

"Yeah! We'll come back with many more amazing stories to tell you!" Usopp cheered.

"We haven't seen the rest of the country yet too," Zoro grinned.

"I want to see this place in a time of peace too," Sanji smiled.

"We'll come back and play!" Chopper cheered.

"And we'll have another feast to celebrate! And we'll have lots of meat!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air.

"CAN'T YOU THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE BUT FOOD?!" His crew yelled at him.

Vivi giggled at the scene, "I really am going to miss you guys…"

* * *

A favorable wind blew behind Merry as it sped along the coastline, pulling away from the harbor of Nanohana where thousands of people gathered to see their heroes off. The country was already well on its way to recovery with everyone working together to bring the country back on its feet, it wouldn't be surprising if traces of the war were to be erased in just a few more weeks time.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Marines are staging their own mini celebration on their promotion on the deck of their ship. Everyone was in a good mood, there was plenty of food and drink, the sea was calm and the wind was good.

Only Luffy stood on the deck of the ship, leaning on the railing while watching as the shore grew more distant by the minute.

"What's wrong, Mr. _Rear Admiral_?" Nami nudged Luffy playfully, leaning on the rail beside him with a drink in her hand.

"Nothing," Luffy sighed uncharacteristically. "There were some people I had hoped I could save… But in the end they chose not to be saved…"

Nami could only raise an eyebrow quizzically at him, not understanding him. "Who are you talking about? Crocodile?"

Luffy chuckled, "No, not him… someone else…"

"Who is it then?"

"Perhaps that person might be me, Mr. Commodore? Oh, I mean, Mr. Rear Admiral?" The door to the female quarters opened suddenly, revealing a smirking Robin.

"You!" Zoro immediately tossed the mug he held at her, buying time for himself to draw out his three swords.

"How impolite," Robin sighed, catching the mug with a hand. "I assume this is some sort of Marine welcoming tradition? How quaint."

Nami had assembled her newly repaired Clima-tact, pointing it menacingly at Robin.

Usopp had leapt back from her, drawing his slingshot and loading a bullet in within a breath.

Chopper had transformed into his human form, though he was looking back and forth between the crew and Robin, still unsure of who she was.

Sanji, on the other hand, was busy pirouetting about screaming his lungs out about seeing a beautiful girl.

Robin barely batted an eyelid from their hostile reactions.

"Here for revenge huh, fine with me!" Zoro lunged forwards, his blade already arcing through the air towards her neck.

Luffy moved quickly, stepping in between the two and blocking the sword with his arm using Tekkai.

"Captain Zoro, stand down." Luffy said simply.

Zoro hesitated for a second before sheathing his swords. Throwing one last glare at Robin before stepping back from them.

Seeing his crew lower their weapons, he turned and regarded the still smirking Robin.

Robin's smirk grew wider when she saw the slight discomfort in Luffy's features, "How nice of you, Mr. Rear Admiral, to give me such a wonderful welcome on your ship."

"Why are you here?" Nami demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Robin glanced at the Navigator from the corner of her eye, "Well, to offer an answer to my dear Rear Admiral of course. He was so rough with his proposition I had no choice but to give in to his demands."

Sanji let out a screech as he grabbed Luffy by his shoulders, shaking him, "LUFFY! What have you done to this beautiful woman?! You better answer or I'll never forgive you!"

Luffy raised an eyebrow at Sanji's actions, "What do you mean? I didn't do anything to her? I only asked her some things and wanted an answer."

"Ah yes, the questions he asked, such daring ones I would say. Demanding that I entrust my entire being to his care, how can I not give a proper reply?" Robin laughed.

Everyone gasped collectively, alternating their glances between Robin and Luffy.

Luffy perked up when he heard what she said, "Oh? So you agree to it then?"

"Of course, I am in your care now, Mr. Rear Admiral." Robin smiled devilishly as she gave a mock bow.

Sanji wailed as he collapsed on the floor, lamenting on how the world was unfair and that he would never find love in his life.

Usopp was grinning like a madman as he tried his best hold back his laughter, finding the whole situation unbearably hilarious.

Zoro still had his hand on the hilt of his blade, watching every one of Robin's movement for the barest hint of hostile intent.

Chopper continued to glance at everyone, still unsure of what was going on.

Only Nami rolled her eyes at her words, "Enough of this, Luffy, tell us what's really going on here."

Luffy straightened before assuming a serious pose in front of Robin, though the latter was still smirking uncontrollably.

"Miss All-Sunday, real name Miss Nico Robin, wanted for seventy-nine million berries for the sinking of six Marine battleships."

"Sinking… Six battleships?" Usopp gasped, his earlier grin disintegrating.

"Seventy-nine million?" Nami's eyes became berry signs.

"That's me," Robin shrugged, not caring about the crew's reactions.

Luffy frowned, "I've looked through the records, the sinking of battleships was a falsified report someone came up with. The number of battleships sent to hunt you tallied with the number of ships that reported back. Someone had intentionally removed these reports and filed in a claim that the ships were sunk instead."

Robin just smiled at the Rear Admiral, not confirming nor denying his words.

"As of right now, I am placing you under my protection on the possibility of a false charge which led to your current bounty. I will do everything in my power to find out the truth behind this incident and root out the ones responsible for it."

"Why, that's very kind of you, Mr. Rear Admiral, I shall leave myself to you and your wonderful crew's protection then," Robin grinned, turning around to return to the female quarters.

The crew watched Robin close the door behind her before turning their collective gaze back to Luffy.

"Luffy… Are you serious about this?" Nami pointed a finger towards the door.

"Yeah, I mean, she was part of the organisation that tried to take over Vivi's country!" Usopp protested.

Luffy crossed his arms, "I'm sure, the numbers don't lie. I had Grandpa double check on it too to be safe too. Though the reports were mostly destroyed, I managed to recover on a single ship's report that it had returned to base without casualties alongside its brethren."

"Why would someone want to frame her though? And this doesn't seem like a small operation either." Nami frowned.

"Secrets huh? There's something she knows that someone else doesn't want her to spread around," Zoro grinned, already guessing the reason behind it.

Luffy nodded, "Though I can't tell you guys what exactly it is now, but there's some things she knows about that some people in the World Government aren't happy about. If I can find evidence on the fact that she never sunk these ships, they can't continue naming her as a criminal."

"Such a sad story for one so beautiful! I shall do my utmost best to protect Robin-chwaan!" Sanji started spinning around the deck.

"I'll… I'll do my best to protect her too!" Chopper raised his hand enthusiastically.

"Well… If you say so, Luffy," Usopp shrugged.

Nami sighed lightly, "Well, it's your orders, Rear Admiral."

"If she tries anything though, I won't hold back on her either," Zoro tapped his sword handle meaningfully.

Behind the door, Robin tapped the small knife she had kept hidden within her sleeve with a finger, frowning to herself as she dematerialized the ear she had placed on Luffy's shoulder.

"I'll play along for now, Mr. Rear Admiral…"

Pushing herself away from the door, she descended deeper into her temporary quarters.

* * *

Deep within the night, Luffy replaced Usopp as the night watch, bidding him goodnight as he sat on the crow's nest, his cloak fluttering in the wind around his shoulders.

Upon hearing the soft click of a door closing below him, he fished out the den den mushi he kept underneath his cloak, having received a new one from Momonga.

"Aokiji, it's Luffy, I have Nico Robin on board."

There was a slight pause before an icy voice came from the other side.

"Good work."


	23. Chapter 23: Crossing The Line

_A/N: Heeeey, so I'm back. Mostly. Been a hell of a few months. If you want to know the details just go to my profile. A million apologies for how late this chapter is, but hey, at least it's here right? (Don't kill me please) Anyway, I have a poll up about how my stories will be written in the future, I do implore you to take just a minute to cast a vote since it will affect how I would write these chapters in the future. It's just basically if you want to wait longer for long chapters or shorter for short chapters, details are similarly on my profile :D  
_

 _Just a word of warning, this chapter is a bit more darker and gory than usual. You have been warned._

 _Enjoy and apologies again for the wait :D_

* * *

Sengoku sighed as he sifted through the pile of paperwork in front of him, taking care to scrutinize every bit of detail written on the paper before signing his approval on each of them. Satisfied with the one he was holding, he tossed it in a box to join the rest while his other hand reached out from the never ending stack on the other side of the table for the next piece.

Before he could start reading it, the door to his office was kicked open unceremoniously and a fuming Garp stormed in, a crumpled piece of newspaper in his hand. Other than raising an eyebrow at his sudden entrance, Sengoku had no other reaction from his unexpected entry.

"SENGOKU! What's the meaning of this?!" Garp yelled, slamming the newspaper on the table, causing the unfinished stack of paper to topple over on to the floor.

Sengoku sighed again, placing the document in his hands aside to open up the newspaper on the table, "What do you want, Garp?"

"What do I want?! I want an explanation of this!" Garp seethed, stabbing a finger on one of the articles.

Sengoku tilted his head as he read the article, a small smirk crossing his face when he saw what it was.

Of course the article was about Luffy, but unlike the previous one where he defeated Arlong which had hidden his identity, this one had all the details written down.

Sengoku cleared his throat and began reading the words out loud, "The newly promoted rising star of the Marine navy, Rear Admiral Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines has shown his prowess once again by subjugating the scheming Shichibukai, Crocodile…"

Garp slammed his palm on the table again, "Why the hell did you send Momonga for that damn ceremony?! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"

Sengoku rolled his eyes, "Please Garp, we all know you'll definitely wreck the place if you were there. With that grandson of yours, you two will definitely do something so unbelievably stupid that the amount of paperwork that I have to do will guarantee my confinement in this office for the next few weeks!"

"That's not true!" Garp huffed indignantly, crossing his arms to emphasize his point.

"Remember his graduation parade?"

"What was wrong with that?! It was a perfectly fine one, the best ever even if I do say so myself!"

"It was a PARADE! Not some beatdown tournament that you and your grandson turned it into! We had to postpone it for two months because half of the graduates were hospitalized! And the amount of complaints I got from the guests was unbelievable! Having you two in the same room is a bomb waiting to go off!" Sengoku shook his fist at him.

"Bah! If those people were hospitalized just from that, then they need to train harder!"

"That's not the point Garp!"

Ignoring him, Garp stabbed his finger at another paragraph of the article, "Anyway, why the hell did you put that gag order on me and you let these newspaper guys tell them he's my GRANDSON?!"

The paragraph had clearly revealed the relationship between Luffy and Garp and even glorified the fact that Luffy was following his grandfather's footsteps. They had even called Luffy "The Young Hero of the Marines" and would definitely stand side by side with his grandfather in the near future as the "Hero Duo".

Sengoku sighed again, bending down to pick up the scattered pieces of paper, "He's gained too much attention for me to keep the lid on it anymore. It wouldn't be hard for people to connect the dots when they see how much his name resembles yours, Garp. It's best we reveal this now to at least deter away some of the potential threats to him in the immediate future."

Garp frowned, "And attract the bigger threats to him? That doesn't seem any better."

"That would eventually happen with or without our intervention, it makes no difference if it happens now anyway."

"You're using him," Garp stated suddenly, the shock in his eyes evident as he realized what his friend had done. "You're using my grandson… To get Dragon out…"

Sengoku's hand twitched.

"YOU'RE USING MY GRANDSON!" Garp slammed the table again, breaking it in half this time.

"Garp, calm down, it's not just that. With this he would be able to encounter and eliminate more threats and further his standing in the Marines. His promotion to Admiral would just be a matter of time. When that time comes, no one would be able to touch him either!"

"What if something happens to him BEFORE that happens?! WHAT IF I LOSE MY GRANDSON?!" Garp glared daggers at the Fleet Admiral.

"He's a capable Marine, there's nothing he can't handle. Besides, you trained him didn't you? If he can't even do this much, I doubt he'll-"

"SHUT UP! I TRUSTED YOU!" Garp swept his hand in front of him, silencing Sengoku.

Sengoku stared at Garp in stunned silence, he hadn't expected this much of a reaction from his old friend. Apparently he had underestimated the amount of concern he had for his grandson.

Garp turned his back to the Fleet Admiral and began storming out of the room.

"Garp! Where do you think you're going?! Garp!"

"To make sure my Luffy is fine," Garp growled.

"Stop it, Garp! You're only going to make things worse!"

"Like you already haven't!" Garp yelled, unintentionally pulling the door off its hinges when he tried to open it.

He tossed the door aside, turning around to glare at Sengoku, "I'm going out to find my grandson and don't you dare try to stop me. I'll beat down anyone who tries to get in my way, you hear me?"

"Garp! I'm ordering you to stop this instant!"

"If you dare to, I'll relinquish my position as a Marine."

Without a waiting for an answer, the Vice Admiral stormed out of the room.

Sengoku sighed as he surveyed the destruction of his office, "Perhaps I miscalculated a bit…"

* * *

Robin sipped the coffee Sanji had prepared for her as the rest of the crew busied with their usual activities.

A small dining table was laid on the deck for both her and Usopp to occupy with the sniper occupying the seat opposite her, scribbling away on several pieces of paper. Luffy stood behind him, watching him scribbling away over his shoulder.

"So… Nico Robin, what was your occupation before your incrimination?" Usopp eyed Robin carefully.

Robin placed the coffee cup down with feminine grace, "Hmm… I was an archaeologist before they placed those charges on me when I was eight years old."

"I see," Usopp scribbled a few words on his paper. "And after that, what happened to you?"

"Well, because of the change in my situation, I was forced to change my specialization a bit to survive you see. There wasn't a lot of things I could do as a child."

Usopp raised an eyebrow, "So what's your specialization now?"

Robin propped up her chin with an arm, giving the sniper the sweetest smile she could, "Assassination."

Usopp threw his pile of papers into the air, "LUFFY! This woman is too dangerous to be on our ship!"

Hearing no reply, Usopp glanced behind him to see both Luffy and Chopper now busy playing with the hands that Robin had sprouted on the deck of the ship.

Usopp bit back a curse as he tried looking at Nami for help.

Their navigator however, was busy counting away the satchel of jewels in a corner, ignoring everything else that was going on around her.

Usopp turned his head towards their chef, but of course the love-struck cook was already composing poems and songs about his love for Robin.

Before he could find other alternative means of help, Luffy had came up to him with two of Robin's hands waving around on his head.

"Hey Usopp! Look! I'm Chopper!"

The sniper joined his Rear Admiral and doctor in rolling around the deck while laughing their lungs out.

Zoro came up to the table, striking it with a fist, "I don't care much about whether you're actually innocent or not, but I'll say this first… I won't hesitate to cut you down at the first sign of betrayal, you understand?"

Robin just smiled at his threat, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mr. Swordsman."

Zoro clucked his tongue in annoyance as he left the deck.

Robin watched the trio roll around for a while more before sighing in content, looking up at the sky.

That was also just the time she noticed a dark shape dropping down towards them. She squinted her eyes as the shape gradually got bigger and bigger, revealing itself to be a galleon headed straight towards them.

Robin sweat-dropped, "Mr. Rear Admiral… You might want to move your ship away from here as fast as you can…"

The rest of the crew turned their heads to follow the direction of her gaze, spotting the galleon that was right above them.

"Full speed ahead!" Nami yelled out, the rest of the crew scrambling to obey.

The Straw Hats weaved Merry through the ton of debris that kept falling out from the sky, dodging past broken off pieces of the galleon as they sailed as far as they could away from the wreck that threatened to bring them down to the ocean floor with it.

The galleon crashed into the water in a huge explosion of spray, rocking the small ship that barely escaped from certain doom in the huge waves it created.

"I thought we were done for…" Usopp gasped, gripping on to the ship's mast for dear life.

"The sky is scaryyyy…" Chopper cried, hugging Usopp's leg.

Nami was sobbing quietly in a corner, "I thought I was prepared for anything this stupid sea could throw at us… What else does it want with me…"

Robin squinted her eyes at the wreckage, "A ship falling from the sky… Interesting…"

"Nami chwaaan, Robin swaan! Are you alright? Your prince shall protect you!" Sanji danced around the deck.

"Hmmm… Could someone have thrown it up there?" Zoro frowned up at the sky.

"Cool! It's a galleon! Let's explore it!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

"And of course this doesn't faze our monster of a Rear Admiral at all… I don't care anymore, do whatever you want..." Nami sobbed, drawing small circles on the deck with her finger.

" **Geppo!** " Luffy leapt into the air, propelling himself towards the galleon wreck.

"Such a lively crew," Robin commented offhandedly, a small smile on her lips.

Before the crew could decide on whether to join Luffy in exploring the wreck, Nami let out a scream.

"What do we do?! The log pose is broken! It's stuck pointing upwards!"

"No Miss Navigator… That just means the log pose has locked on to a 'Sky Island'..." Robin clarified.

Nami gasped, "Sky island? You mean there's an island floating up there in the sky?"

"More accurately, there's another sea up there in the sky."

"That's so awesome!" Both Chopper and Usopp had their eyes bulging out in amazement.

Nami stared at the archaeologist incredulously, "How is that even possible?"

"Although I've said all this, I have never actually set foot on a sky island before," Robin shrugged her shoulders.

"This is absurd! The log pose must be broken! There's no way for another sea to be in the sky!" Nami protested.

"Incorrect, Miss Navigator… Here in the Grand Line, no matter what kind of impossible situation you experience, you must never doubt the log pose. For wherever that needle points, there's sure to be an island there."

"But… even if that's true, there's no way for us to get up there in the sky!"

"Can't Luffy fly there? He was flying in Alabasta..." Chopper glanced at the Rear Admiral still jumping around the steadily sinking wreckage.

"I don't suppose he could carry the ship on his back while he jumps up there, could he?" Zoro scratched his chin thoughtfully.

Sanji grimaced, "If he manages to do that, I won't ever be able to see him as a human being ever again."

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" Luffy jumped back on the ship, waving a piece of map happily in his hand.

Everyone huddled around the map that Luffy brought back. The edges were torn and the paper itself was obviously old from its brown coloring. But the word that caught their attention the most was still the name of the island on the map.

"Skypiea! That sounds like a cool island! We should go there, Nami!" Luffy grinned.

"Yeah, Luffy… We're wondering on how to do that right now, there's no way for us to make the ship fly up into the sky…" Sanji sighed.

"Oh, ok then! Let's make the ship fly up into the sky!"

"Luffy, there's no way we can do that…" Usopp face palmed.

"This isn't happening… Why do we even need to go to this sky island anyway? Can't we just request an eternal pose to another island from Headquarters and continue from there? We don't actually have to go up into the sky do we?" Nami begged.

"That's not fun! We should go up there! Onwards to sky island!" Luffy yelled, pointing his finger up at the sky.

Zoro sighed, "Luffy, unless you can lift this ship up with you into the sky, there's no way we're getting close to this Skypiea of yours."

Luffy took a look at the deck, then at each of his crew members in the eye, then finally up at the sky.

"Alright then," The Rear Admiral nodded before shrugging off his cloak and rolling up his sleeves.

"Wait, wait, wait… You're not serious are you, Luffy?" Usopp stopped Luffy from going any closer to the railing of the ship.

"Well, I never know if I can do it unless I try right?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"OUR LIVES AREN'T FOR YOU TO PLAY WITH!" His crew smacked him on the head angrily.

"Oh come on, it'll be fine guys," Luffy laughed, scratching his head.

"NO IT WON'T!"

"Do you guys hear that?" Robin said suddenly.

The crew stopped beating Luffy and perked up their ears, the soft whisper of a song could be heard, increasing in volume with each passing second.

"Saaaalvaage~~ Saaalvaage~~~ Saaalvage!"

A huge ship with a monkey as its figurehead anchored near the where the galleon had sunk, its size easily dwarfing Merry.

"Pirates?" Zoro unclasped his sword.

"Hey boss! There's Marines here!" A voice shouted out from the pirate ship.

"Did you say Boss? That would be me! Salvage King Masira!" A figure jumped up onto the railings of the ship, striking a pose with his huge arms.

"Oh look, a monkey!" Luffy pointed.

Masira started scratching his head in embarrassment, "Oh? Did you say I look like a monkey? Aw shucks, you're making me blush!"

"Another weirdo…" Nami sighed.

"Boss! They're Marines!"

Masira finally noticed the Marine uniform and colors they were flying.

The salvage pirate rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Tch, and I just thought we could have a nice quiet salvage… Who are you?"

"Rear Admiral Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy crossed his arms with a grin. "Who are **you**?"

"Rear Admiral?!"

"All the way out here?!"

"We… What do we do?!"

Masira's crew started panicking.

Masira narrowed his eyes at the Marine, watching his movements closely, "I see… Have you come to arrest me then?"

"Arrest you? For what?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

Masira raised an eyebrow, "For being a pirate of course."

"Huh? Why would I arrest you just for being a pirate?"

"Isn't that what you Marines do?"

"Eh? I don't do that, that's both boring and troublesome. I only arrest bad people!" Luffy grinned proudly.

Everyone on his crew face palmed.

Luffy noticed the prolonged silence as he realized everyone was looking at him. He settled his sights on Masira, uncertainty in his eyes, "Are you a really bad pirate?"

"We're salvage pirates!" Masira thumped his chest proudly.

"Salvage pirates? So you guys are planning to salvage that sunken ship from earlier?" Nami pointed at the spot the ship had sunk a while ago.

Masira grinned proudly, "Of course! That's what we do!"

"Really? That's so cool! Can we watch?" Luffy yelled out excitedly.

Masira's crew gasped collectively when they heard Luffy's words.

"You… You want…. You want to watch us? Watch us salvage?" Masira stuttered.

"Yeah! It sounds like fun!" Luffy grinned.

"Alright boys! Let's show them what we're made of!" Masira yelled back to his men.

"Aye, aye boss!"

* * *

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper watched with sparkles in their eyes as Masira's crew continued with their salvage. The rest of the the Straw Hats who weren't as interested continued on with their own work, ignoring the pirates just beside their ship.

Their swordsman was already napping on the deck of the ship, snoring contentedly with his swords propped up beside him.

"Robin swaaan~~ I have your coffee ready~~" Sanji spun out of his kitchen, carefully balancing the tray that held the coffee in his hand as he made his way towards the seated archaeologist.

"Thank you Mr. chef," Robin smiled lightly at Sanji, putting away her book for the time being.

"Ah~~ Such grace! I shall make some refreshments for Nami too!" Sanji spun back towards the kitchen with hearts flowing out.

Robin glanced towards the room she shared with Nami, the navigator in question no doubt busy with her usual drawing of maps at this point of time. She switched her gaze back to the other three Marines who were still fixated on the whole salvage operation, smiling a bit as she saw their wondrous expressions.

"Hey, monkey guy!" Luffy suddenly yelled out.

"Awww… Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Masira laughed, scratching his head.

Luffy ignored him, "You know anything about how to get us up into the sky?"

Masira jolted at his words, "Into the sky? Why would you want to go there?"

"To get to sky island of course!" Luffy grinned.

"Ha… Hahaha! A marine talking about going to sky island! Hahahaha! I never thought I would see this day!"

"What's so funny?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Hahaha! Sorry! Sorry! I just never thought I would hear a Marine talking about going to sky island ever. But if you're really serious about going to sky island, you should come and see my boss! If anyone knows about going there, it'll be my boss!"

"Well alright then! Guys! Let's follow them!"

"Luffy…. Aren't we heading into a den of pirates if that's the case?" Usopp bit his fingers nervously.

"Yeah! Wouldn't that be cool?!"

"Oh no, we already lost him…" Usopp cried, already resigning himself to his fate.

* * *

Merry sailed steadily behind the pirates' ship, leading the way towards their base. Masira himself was on Merry, laughing alongside Chopper as Usopp told him about his stories.

"Luffy, where exactly are we going?" Nami frowned, not really too comfortable that the pirates were technically leading them to their base.

"It's an island called Jaya or something," Luffy grinned back.

"Well… That's fine and all, but is there a town somewhere? That Robin girl is still wearing my clothes… I think we should stop by somewhere to let her buy some things…"

"Oh, there's a town on the island called Mock town, you can go there if you want to, but it's filled with pirates." Masira chipped in helpfully, having heard their conversation.

"A town filled with pirates?" Nami gasped in disbelief.

Masira grinned at her reaction, "Yep! It's a pirate paradise there, totally out of reach of any government which made pirates flock there!"

"I've read about that place before," Robin nodded. "It's a place of ridicule and mockery where people sing, laugh and kill each other. Otherwise known as Mock town."

"Well! I guess the shopping can wait!" Nami laughed nervously.

"Sounds like a fun place! Let's go there!" Luffy grinned, only causing Nami to cling to the mast in despair.

Masira dusted his pants as he stood up, "Well, I'll draw you guys a map of the island and you can go to my boss's place when you're done. I'll head back with my crew to tell him you're coming first!"

Nami turned to Luffy, tears in her eyes, "Luffy please don't make us go there… Please? It's not a place for us!"

"Relax Nami, nothing's going to happen to us!" Luffy patted her shoulder reassuringly.

Nami groaned, knowing there's no stopping her Rear Admiral now.

The crew waved goodbye as Masira rejoins the rest of his crew, promising to meet up with them afterwards.

* * *

"Just promise me not to cause more trouble than necessary…" Nami begged, shaking Luffy's shoulders vigorously.

"Alright, alright. I won't arrest anyone nor fight anyone there unless provoked, happy?" Luffy groaned.

"Please," Nami sighed in relief.

"Mock town ahead!" Usopp shouted from the crow's nest, spotting the island appearing from the horizon.

It wasn't long before the various pirates in Mock town noticed the lone Marine ship that was heading towards the town, instigating many of them to gather at the dock to 'welcome' the newcomers.

"Luffy? I don't think it's such a good idea to come here after all…" Usopp ducked behind the ship rails, peeking to see the unfriendly faces of the pirates glaring straight at him.

Chopper was also gripping tightly to Usopp's leg, shivering in fear as he saw the number of pirates gathered at the dock.

"Luffy? Can we please turn back?" Nami asked hopefully, hiding behind Luffy's back.

"Heh, this looks like a fun place," Zoro grinned, his hand tapping on the pommel of his sword impatiently.

"Small fries, all of them," Sanji snorted at them.

"Interesting... To still survive without having a cohesive form of government while occupied by outlaws, what an interesting town," Robin nodded to herself.

The ship pulled into the dock painfully slowly, dropping anchor just as the pirates surged forwards with their weapons drawn. Before the could get within five meters of the ship, Luffy jumped in front of the pirates, stopping them in their tracks.

Luffy held up a palm, "Stop, we're not here to fight or arrest any of you. We're only here to buy some things and we'll leave right after we're done."

"Heheheh, listen to this guy, he thinks he can just do whatever he wants," a pirate with a heavily scarred face sneered.

"You think just because you're Marines we're scared of hurting you?" Another pirate who had a hook for a left hand spat.

The pirates surged forward again, intent on slaughtering the pompous Marine in front of them.

"I do not wish to fight unless you give me a reason to," Luffy said simply, unfazed by the huge number of pirates that were marching towards him.

"You're just scared of us, ain't ya?"

"He's just a weak little Marine that got lost at sea."

"Heheh, I see he has women on his crew too, we'll make sure to have fun with them after we kill you!"

The lead pirate suddenly stopped in his tracks, spotting the flag that flew proudly on Merry's mast, "Guys… Aren't they the Straw Hat Marines?"

"Straw Hat Marines?" Another pirate asked, also stopping beside the first one.

"I've heard of them! They took out all the big shots in East Blue! The commander is supposedly a Marine Captain!"

"I heard they took down the fishman pirate Arlong! He was worth twenty million berries!"

"There's no way this guy did that! He doesn't look strong at all!"

"Hey, hey… Maybe we should just let him go, he said he won't fight after all…"

"Why are you chickening out? We outnumber them!"

"Yeah! Even if he's strong, he can't defeat all of us by himself!"

"That's right! We'll become even more infamous if we take him down!"

With a loud yell, the pirates charged forwards with their weapons raised. Before, they had full confidence in taking out the Marine in front of them, but upon knowing his exploits, there was a slight fear in each of their eyes.

Luffy turned to look at his crew, shrugging his shoulders, "Well, I tried."

Luffy crossed his arms and glared at the incoming pirates, releasing a short, potent burst of Conqueror's haki that sent shivers down everyone's spines on the harbor. In mere moments, the mob of pirates that had been charging towards them all collapsed in a heap, foaming at the mouth with the whites of their eyes showing.

The other pirates who had chosen not to attack Luffy was spared of the blast, leaving them staring at Luffy with a mixture of shock and fear.

Luffy grinned as he backflipped back on to his ship, ignoring the fearful stares of the pirates gathered at the dock. Some of them had already wisely chosen to discreetly leave the scene.

"Nami, I want you to move the ship out to sea and wait for me. If any pirates try to come after the ship, sink them if you can, run if you can't, I'll come find you guys when I'm done. Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, protect the ship. Usopp, stay in the crow's nest, shoot a flare if you need my help. Robin, follow me ashore and we'll get your things."

"YES SIR!" The crew saluted in unison, giving Robin a slight surprise at the sudden change in demeanor in the crew.

Luffy lead Robin down the ship and into the town, the pirates that were gathered backed away from him the moment he came within five feet of them.

* * *

In another place in town, loud laughter reverberated in the hall of Tropical Hotel where a group of pirates gathered.

"I can't believe this, this place is a pirate haven! Why are we letting this Marine walk around like he owns the place? We should just crush him right now!" One of the pirates laughed.

"Hey, I heard he brought a girl along too, and she ain't bad looking either."

"Yeah, and they're here to shop of all things, picked the wrong place for a date yeah?"

"But I did hear he knocked out a big group of pirates at the harbor in an instant…"

"And I heard his crew took out the big shots in East Blue without a sweat."

"Their commander is a Captain after all, he definitely ain't a pushover like the other Marines."

"Hey… Maybe we should just leave him alone? He did say he's not here to fight after all."

"Hahahaha! You bunch of cowards!" An arrogant laugh resounded from a pirate with shoulder length blue hair.

The pirate had a white-furred coat thrown over his shoulders that revealed his bare chest that had a tattoo of a smiley with a cancel symbol underneath. He toyed with the giant curved knife that he casually flipped around in his hands, the purple-tinted visor barely hiding the sadistic glint in his eyes.

He ran his tongue along the side of his giant kukri, snickering as he did so, "That Marine probably cheated his way through the ranks, claiming credit for his underlings' work! You think any sane Marine would come to this town of all places?"

"But Sarkies… he did manage to take down that group of pirates at the harbor…"

"A trick! Nothing more! Probably some form of Devil Fruit power of his, if we can take him out before he has a chance to use it, he's done for!" Sarkies laughed.

A voice laughed from the entrance of the room, "Hahahh-haha! That's right! There's no need to fear this foolish Marine! He walked right into a pirates' haven! He's simply courting death!"

Everyone turned to see a tall man with short, unkempt blonde hair strut into the room. He had a navy blue pirate captain's coat carelessly worn on his shoulder that contrasted with his pink sleeveless shirt and white pants. A distinct scar marred the skin above his right eye and tattoos of eye-like design decorated his arms.

"Bellamy! About time you came here," Sarkies smirked.

Bellamy sat down heavily on one of the couches, grinning maniacally, "Heheheh, I saw that Marine with his little girlfriend in town... he looks utterly pathetic! There's no way he could be a Marine Captain of all things!"

"Haha! And he still dares to strut around this town? There's a reason no Marines ever dared to come here in the past!" The crew's doctor, Muret snickered.

"I bet that Marine is loaded too! He got all the bounties for those pirates of East Blue after all!" The navigator, Eddy rubbed his hands together in glee.

"What do you say, Bellamy? Wanna go teach that upstart Marine a lesson?" Sarkies slung his Kukri behind his back.

Bellamy licked his lips, "Hahahh-haha! Let's do it! We'll teach him a lesson he won't have a chance to remember!"

* * *

The pub that was usually filled with rambunctious laughter and curses was dead silent that day. All the pirates in the pub sat hunched over their food and drinks, eyes locked on the pair that sat by the bar counter.

Robin sipped her coffee appreciatively while Luffy devoured the plate full of food beside her, leaving the bags full of Robin's spoils littered on the ground around them. Only one pirate sat beside him, devouring a pie ravenously while ignoring the Marine.

"Mr. Marine… I don't mean to be rude but… I hope you don't start any trouble here… You see, even if this town is full of wanted men, they're still our source of income… It would really hurt us business owners if they don't visit here…" The bartender pleaded.

"Shishishi! Don't worry! I won't start any trouble here, I'm just going to eat this and we'll be off!"

"If you can do that, that will be a really big help Mr. Marine…"

"Ha! Typical of you spineless Marines to say those things!" The pirate that sat beside Luffy spat before continuing to stuff his mouth full of pie.

Every other pirate sucked in a lungful of breath, ready to bolt out of the pub at a moment's notice.

"Hey! That's not true! There's plenty of Marines who aren't spineless!" Luffy protested, waving a piece of meat at the pirate.

"Marines are just people with no ambition and desire in their lives! Easily contented with an uneventful and meaningless life! They have no dreams of their own!"

"Shishishi! That's where you're wrong mister! I have a dream myself!"

The pirate turned to look at the Marine, grinning widely to reveal a big mouth with several missing teeth. "Pirates dream of adventure and danger, placing their lives on the line to achieve what others merely brush off as fantasies! We sail where no one ever has and brave through storms that would break a mortal man! Those are the glorious dreams of pirates! Do tell, what kinda dreams do you have, boy?"

"I'm going to be a Marine Admiral!" Luffy thumped his chest proudly.

"Zehahaha! If that's your dream, then why are you in such a place like this town?!"

"I'm looking for a way to get to Sky Island! I don't suppose you know how?"

The pub suddenly exploded into laughter, releasing the tension that had been in the air moments before.

"Sky… Sky Island he says! Hahaha!"

"I can't believe it! A Marine would actually say that! Hahaha!"

"A Marine! Hahaha! Wants to go to Sky Island! Hahaha!"

Luffy tilted his head at the pirates who were currently rolling on the floor, laughing their lungs out, "What's so funny?"

A pirate wiped the tear that was coming out of his eye, "I can't believe I'm saying this to a Marine but, give up on that stupid idea! There's no Sky Island!"

"Even we pirates gave up on that dream long ago! It's nothing but lies made up by others!"

"A piece of advice Marine, go back to your Marine base! At least you're not wasting much of your life there!"

There was no signs of the pirates' ridicule ending any time soon, having already lost their recent fear of the Marine.

"Zehahaha!" The pirate beside Luffy laughed, slapping him on the back as he did so. "Impressive boy! You may be a Marine, but you have the heart of a true pirate! My opinion of you has changed! Zehahaha!"

Luffy raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"Zehahaha! Everyone in this world have dreams! In the past, we pirates used to dream of obtaining the legendary One Piece and becoming the Pirate King! Others dreamt of obtaining absolute power and some of obtaining the secrets of this world! But most of these people give up the moment they face a setback, these are not true dreamers!"

The pirate leaned forward in his seat, a lazy smile floated across his face, "In this current era, most are just satisfied with a simple dream, not willing to risk all they have for their ambitions.

He slammed a fist on the table suddenly, silencing the entire bar, "I say this to you! Your dreams ain't big enough if they don't scare you! Forget about those who laugh at you, forget about those who tell you it cannot be done! They are only afraid of witnessing you obtain what they could never grasp in their life! Sail forth boy, the age of dreams isn't over yet!"

The pirate laughed heartily as he got up from his seat, walking past the other stunned pirates to exit the bar.

"Shishishi, that pirate was rather interesting wasn't he?" Luffy grinned at Robin.

"Mmm… Indeed," Robin nodded in agreement, her thoughts still replaying back the words he had said about dreams.

At that point of time, the door was ruthlessly kicked open, revealing a group of unruly pirates that strutted in arrogantly.

"Bell… Bellamy!" One of the bar patrons croaked in fear.

"I heard a little Marine lost its way here," Bellamy licked his lips, eyes already locked on to Luffy.

Sarkies spotted Robin sitting beside Luffy, "Oh, the girl really isn't bad either, at least they were right about her."

Bellamy swaggered up to Luffy, a crooked smile on his face, "Heh heh heh, so what's a great Marine like yourself doing here, hm?"

Luffy furrowed his brows, "Bellamy the Hyena, bounty of fifty-five million berries…"

"Oh? So you know me? I'm flattered," Bellamy smirked, flexing his arms. "I don't suppose I could interest you to stay for a few rounds of drinks?"

Sarkies sneered, "Hahaha! Are you even old enough to drink? You look like you're still drinking milk from your mother!"

That instigated the rest of the pirates to start jeering at the Marine.

Robin tug the edge of his cloak, "Luffy, we should go, the rest are waiting."

Luffy nodded, ignoring the smirking Bellamy as he gathered their things and lead the way out the bar. Robin followed closely behind, walking past the pirates that still continued to shower them with insults.

Before she could take ten steps away, however, Sarkies had reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.

"Hold it a moment girl, why are you hanging out with someone boring like him? You're better off with us!"

Robin furrowed her brows, wondering if she should start this fight. She had thought about sprouting arms and crushing the pirate's manhood at first, but decided it might be a better idea to let the Marine handle this.

Luffy whirled around and glared hard at Sarkies, "Let her go."

"Hehehe, let her go or you'll what?" Sarkies grinned, pulling out his kukri with his free hand while maintaining his grip on Robin. A few pirates stepped in between with their weapons drawn as well, smirking at Luffy.

"I am not asking again, let her go or I'll break that arm."

"Hahaha! Do it if you think you can!"

"Robin, shut your eyes and hold your breath."

Robin tilted her head quizzically at his demand, but complied nevertheless.

"Hehehe, good idea, don't let her witness how we're going to break you apart you lousy-"

Without waiting for him to finish his words, Luffy vanished from the spot he was standing. A loud 'crack' resounded in the bar and both the Marine and woman disappeared without a trace.

"MY ARM!" Sarkies screamed, clutching at the arm that held Robin moments before, now bent in the opposite way of where it was supposed to.

Muret immediately went up to him, inspecting his arm. Her face paled as she realized the damage that had been done.

"Sarkies… He broke your arm in six different places… He even broke each of your fingers individually too…"

"THAT DAMN MARINE!" Bellamy pounded his fist on the counter. "HE'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

* * *

Robin exhaled sharply as she felt a sense of vertigo hit her, almost as if she was freefalling. Realizing that her feet were not touching the ground, she opened her eyes to see Luffy cradling her in his arms, carrying her bridal style.

Robin looked around her, noticing the difference in atmosphere, "Where are we?"

"The harbour," Luffy said simply. "Hold on tight, I'm jumping over to our ship."

Robin smiled slightly, clutching on to the Marine while having thoughts of how defenceless he was in this position. It would be so easy to just take out the knife hidden in her sleeve and stab hi-

Her thoughts were interrupted as Luffy kicked himself into the air, holding onto both Robin and their bags, eyes focused forwards on the single Marine ship in the horizon.

Robin swallowed the yelp that surfaced in her throat as she clung on to the Marine in surprise, watching the ground disappear beneath her.

Both landed on their ship without incident, the crew already preparing to sail when they saw Luffy's figure heading towards them.

"I hope you didn't cause any trouble?" Nami stood at the mast, pointedly staring at her Rear Admiral.

Luffy raised his arm in a swearing posture, "I did not arrest anyone nor started a fight unnecessarily."

"Good, good," Nami sighed in relief, completely missing out the hint on the 'unnecessarily'. "We're all prepared to leave at your command, Luffy."

"Alright! Let's go find that monkey guy!"

With the map as their guide, the Straw Hats guided the ship steadily towards their destination.

* * *

"Wow! That monkey guy lives in a castle!" Luffy pointed at the shoreline excitedly.

Nami shook her head, "It's fake, Luffy. It's just a board that's painted on."

"Awwww…" Luffy frowned, disappointed.

The crew stepped ashore to find Masira standing side by side with another pirate, grinning broadly at them. The pirate by his side looked at them with a hint of suspicion, a slight frown evident on his chimpanzee like face.

Sat on a stool in between them was a muscular, middle aged man with blonde hair, puffing on a single cigarette while regarding each of the Straw Hats that stood before him. A distinct chestnut sat prominently on his head.

"Hey guys! You made it! Boss! These are the Marines I was telling you about!" Masira gestured to the Straw Hats excitedly.

The man took a long drag of his cigarette, "So… Masira here tells me that you little Marines want to find yourself a Sky Island?"

Nami clamped a hand over Luffy's mouth before he could speak, "Indeed, I don't suppose you know how to get us there Mr?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Montblanc Cricket, you might have heard of me?"

Luffy tore himself out of Nami's grasp, "Oh! You're that pirate that disappeared without a trace ten years ago! I think your crew was apprehended a few years ago but they said you had drowned at sea."

Cricket stood up and flexed his arms, "Hmph, so are you here to take me in too?"

"Nope! You're technically dead to the Marines so you're a free man, shishishi!"

"Hahaha! Never thought I'll hear a Marine say that ever! You're more interesting than I thought boy!" Cricket laughed as he slapped Luffy's back.

The other pirate frowned, "But boss… We're still pirates with a bounty on our heads…They might just be waiting for us to let our Guards down before attacking us!"

"Hey! Shoujou! Those are my friends! Stop threatening them!" Masira protested.

"Oh? They are? Then why didn't you say so earlier? We don't have anything to worry about if that's the case, hahaha!" Shoujou laughed, all traces of his previous anxiety disappearing.

' _They're too trusting…'_ The Straw Hats sweat dropped.

"Well, so you're really looking for Sky Island?" Cricket grinned, sitting himself down on the stool again.

"Yeah! Do you know how to get there mister?" Luffy's eyes sparkled.

Cricket rested his chin on his palm, his eyes turning serious, "What if I told you I may know a way there, but I cannot guarantee any of you will come back using this way?"

"What do you mean?" Sanji frowned.

"I mean you guys might die trying to get up there."

"Luffy! Sky Island's too dangerous! Can we go somewhere else instead?" Usopp wailed.

But Luffy wasn't listening anymore, he sat starry-eyed in front of Cricket, already urging him to go on.

Cricket crossed his arms, "Have you heard of the Knock-up-stream?"

"Knock-up-stream?" Nami's ears perked up.

Cricket glanced at the navigator, "It's known as a natural disaster around these parts. A giant pillar of water blasting upwards into the air in the middle of the sea."

Nami frowned, "How can such a thing be possible? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Ha! If you still have the mentality of impossibility, you will never survive on the Grand Line girl. Besides, as impossible as it sounds, it's your only way up there."

The pirate reached behind him, pulling a worn out book and waving it at the Straw Hats.

"You guys aren't the first to think about going to Sky Island anyway, if you trust the words of a man condemned to death as a liar, you can believe it exists."

Sanji widened his eyes, "Condemned to death as a liar? You can't mean King of Liars Noland?"

"Oh? You're from North Blue aren't you? Most people from North Blue would know about him."

The rest of the crew turned to look at Sanji.

"Eh? I didn't tell you guys? I was born in North Blue."

"Besides that point, how would the King of Liars help us get to Sky Island?" Nami eyed the book Cricket still held in his hands.

Cricket grinned slightly, thrusting the book out to her, "Why don't you read it for yourself then?"

Nami gasped when she realized what the book was, "A Captain's log? Could that be Noland's?"

Cricket just nodded before Nami began flipping through the book, the rest of the crew crowding behind her.

"Year of the Sea 1120, June 21st, Clear weather. We left the town of Villa and sailed Northeast following the log pose. We encountered a merchant ship in the afternoon and bought quite an unusual snowboard-like object called a "Waver", it quickly became quite a popular toy among the crew. It seems the engine for this device only exists on Sky Island along with many other interesting things like the "sky fish". Though it may be impossible to get there with our ship, but I really wish to be able to go to the Sky Ocean someday, Montblanc Noland."

"WOAAAHH! So Sky Island does exist!" Luffy yelled.

"If we believe the words of a liar, that is…" Sanji frowned.

"The problem of getting there still exists though…" Zoro added.

"You were talking about the Knock-up stream earlier, Mr. pirate." Robin pointed out helpfully.

"Ah yes… That one…" Cricket took a whiff of his cigarette before standing up from his seat.

"There's a cloud around these parts that stack high up into the sky but doesn't give rise to any currents nor rain. Some say these clouds have been existence for millions of years and they have been continuing to float around like a "cloud fossil". If Sky Island exists, it'll be on that cloud."

"Alright! Let's set sail to that cloud! Thanks mister!" Luffy yelled, leading the way to the ship.

"Everyone man your positions! Turn the ship towards the cloud in the sky!" Usopp joined in.

Nami punched the two into the ground before they could get far, "We still don't know how to get there you morons!"

"I assume this Knock-up stream is the way up to the cloud then?" Robin glanced at the pirate.

Cricket nodded, turning to look out at the sea, "Indeed, it's a giant column of water that shoots itself upwards with explosive force. You'll need to have both your ship and the cloud at the exact place it happens or you'll just fall to your death. I'm telling you to consider this carefully, because even with all that I said, I cannot say for sure that all of you will make it even if Sky Island does exist."

"Then… Then we'll need an insane amount of luck for that to happen! If the two don't line up we'll just be shot into empty air! We don't even know when the two will line up!"Usopp gulped.

"it will happen tomorrow at noon… But I must still warn you. That cloud might just be a big empty cloud after all, so you better be absolutely sure before going." Cricket supplied.

"Lu… Luffy, I think we can just forget…" Usopp turned to his Rear Admiral, swallowing his words when he saw the rest of the crew staring at Luffy too. It goes without saying the final decision lay with their commander.

"So there's no guarantees we'll live through this?" Luffy tilted his head.

Cricket nodded, staring at the Rear Admiral's eyes intently.

The Rear Admiral turned to look at all of his crew slowly, his sights lingering on each of them as the silent question passed between them.

All of them grinned as one, though Usopp's grin was a rather shaky one.

"There's no success without taking any risks!" Luffy laughed.

"Hmph, I guess you could say that. Hey, you guys know about what actually happened in Noland's story?"

"If I remember correctly, he died saying the land with the gold sunk into the sea or something like that." Sanji scratched his chin.

That was when Shoujou and Masira jumped in.

"Let us tell you the amazing story of our boss's ancestor!"

"Shut up you two morons! There's barely any of his blood in me!" Cricket immediately chopped the two of them on the head.

"Eh? Noland was your ancestor?" Chopper gasped.

"Distantly related," Cricket sighed. He sat down on his stool again and proceeded to tell them of his ongoing 'duel' with his ancestor, spending his time diving deep into the sea trying to look for the city of gold. Although Nami's eyes had changed into berries halfway through the story, everyone was considerate enough to ignore it.

"Anyway, if you're all dead set on going to Sky Island, Shoujou and Masira can help outfit your ship for the trip. The stream's gonna come up tomorrow at noon, the cloud would be at the same position too. All we need is to get you there on time." Cricket nodded to the other two pirates.

Both Masira and Shoujou proudly flexed their muscles, "Leave it to us!"

"EH? Isn't this a bit too coincidental?! Why are you even going so far to help us? We're still Marines you know?!" Usopp shouted.

Cricket only grinned at his outburst, "Marine or pirate it doesn't matter. People with foolish dreams like us should help each other. You're welcome to stay the night at my place, friends."

"Ah before we forget," Masira placed a bag on the ground, opening it to reveal a golden statue of a bird.

Shoujou patted the statue fondly, "You guys are gonna have to find this bird before you set off. It's called a Southbird that exists on this island's forest and it's known for always pointing its head southwards no matter where it is."

"Ah! That's right, we can't use compasses on the Grand Line!" Nami gasped.

Masira grinned, "Yep! We'll start work on your ship first, but you guys will have to catch that Southbird or all our preparation will be wasted anyway!"

"Well what are you waiting for guys? Let's go!" Luffy yelled, leading the way to the forest.

"What an interesting bunch!" Shoujou laughed as he watched the rest of the crew trail after their Rear Admiral.

Masira slapped Shoujou's back happily, "I told you so didn't I? They're good people!"

"Haha, come on boys, we have a ship to outfit," Cricket tossed his cigarette away, eyes already set on the Straw Hats' ship.

* * *

The Straw Hats assembled outside the forest.

"So we're going to see who gets the bird first eh?" Sanji cracked his knuckles.

"We got time, loser teams get night watch tonight." Zoro smirked.

"Alright! You're all on! They used to call me the master of bird catching in the past!" Usopp thumped his chest proudly.

"Woaaaah! That's so cool Usopp!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.

Luffy pouted, sitting on the ground, "I want to go catch the bird too!"

"No! It'll be too easy for you! Just sit there and be quiet!" Nami pointed an accusing finger at him.

"But that's boring!" Luffy pouted.

Nami bent down and whispered something in his ear, causing Luffy to sigh and finally lay down on the grass, "Fine! But don't make me wait too long!"

"Alright! Let's go guys!" Nami pointed at the forest, leading the way with Sanji pirouetting behind her.

"I guess we should go too, Mr. Swordsman, the forest is this way," Robin turned, guiding the disgruntled Swordsman who was about to walk in the opposite direction of the forest.

"Let's go Usopp!" Chopper pranced into the forest with Usopp.

A few silent minutes passed before Luffy sits up again.

"Well… she did tell me not to compete with them, but it should be fine if I just take a walk in the forest right? Shishishi!" Luffy jumped on his feet and disappeared into the forest moments later.

* * *

"That's their ship! I knew it, they're here!" Sarkies bellowed, his broken arm in a cast that hung by his chest.

"We'll give those damn Marines the lesson they deserve! They think they can waltz here and do whatever they want?! We'll chop them up and crush them for what they did to us!" Bellamy roared, receiving loud cheer from his crew.

"Now let's show them what pirates are! Give these damnable Marines a lesson they'll never forget!" Bellamy pointed a finger towards the shore, a look of pure hatred on his face.

"Hey you hear something?" Shoujou frowned, pausing his hammer mid-swing.

Masira cocked his head to the side, concentrating for a few silent seconds before resuming his hammering of the nail, "I don't hear anything, probably those ears of yours are turning useless from all your shouting."

"You got a problem with my shouting?!" Shoujou fumed, rolling up his sleeves.

"You got a problem with that?!" Masira challenged, similarly rolling up his sleeves.

"STRAW HAT! GET OUT HERE!"

Both pirates paused and looked in the direction of the voice, an unknown pirate ship sat moored nearby beside the Going Merry.

"You're the Bellamy pirates… What do you guys want? The Straw Hats aren't here," Cricket stood at the bow, arms crossed.

Bellamy cracked his knuckles, "Ha! Don't lie to me! This is their ship isn't it? We have a bone to pick with them, if you're not related to them then scram before we make you!"

Cricket looked over his shoulders, smiling when he saw Shoujou and Masira already rolling up their sleeves with anger evident on their faces.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, this ship is currently under our protection," Cricket grinned fearlessly.

"Ha… Hahaha! Why are you risking your lives in protecting the ship of a Marine?!"

"Whether they're Marines or not, we all have our own dreams to chase… What's wrong with helping a fellow dreamer? Enough talk, if you want this ship you'll have to get through us first!"

Bellamy smiled devilishly, "As you wish."

* * *

Meanwhile, Zoro grunted discontentedly as he sheathed his sword for the upteenth time, watching the giant centipede he had just cut fall with disinterest.

"You don't have to cut down everything we come across you know?" Robin frowned, placing a hand on her hip.

Zoro snorted, "Hey, this thing came at me first so mind your own business. Besides," Zoro pointed a finger at the archaeologist, "Even though our Rear Admiral might have put you under our wing, but I still don't trust you, got that?"

"Yes, yes. All very professional Mr. Swordsman. But you do know you're walking in the direction we just came from right?"

"Ugh! I'm… I'm just searching this area again!"

"As you say, the bird cry we heard earlier came from this direction, so let's not waste time anymore, shall we?" Robin pointed with a finger, already walking away without a glance back.

"Tch… This damn woman…" Zoro grimaced, following after her.

Meanwhile, both Usopp and Chopper were running for their lives.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS FOREST!" Usopp screamed, running from the giant cloud of wasps that was chasing them.

"The bird is commanding them! He does not want us here!" Chopper yelled, glaring at the South Bird that flew over them, mockery clear in its eyes.

"What's the big idea you damn bird?!" Usopp turned to shake his fist angrily at the South Bird.

"Chopper! Duck!" Chopper yelled suddenly.

"Where?" Usopp turned back, just in time to run straight into an overhanging branch, smacking him straight across the face.

Chopper wasted no time in changing to his human form and tossing the unconscious Usopp over his shoulder, dodging through the trees and gaining distance from his pursuers.

"This is going to be harder than we thought…" Chopper huffed.

On the other hand, Sanji was having the time of his life.

"Nami swaaan~~~ The call came from this way~~" Sanji pointed cheerfully.

Nami shivered, and it wasn't from the cold either, "Yes, yes, I heard it too…"

Nami was beginning to wonder if it would have been a better idea to have gone with Robin instead, maybe find out more about her personality and circumstances rather than the pervert cook she was stuck with now.

She sighed a bit as she stepped over a root, straight into an unseen mud puddle behind it.

"Eww! Now my shoes are ruined…" Nami groaned, looking down pitifully at her muddied shoes.

"Fear not mademoiselle! Your prince is here~~" Sanji flung himself towards Nami, a prepared handkerchief in hand.

"Would you just concentrate on looking for that damn bird?!" Nami yelled, kicking him away. "At the rate we're going, we'll never find it!"

"JOEEEE~~"

Nami looked towards the direction the cry came from, catching sight of the South Bird just before it flew off from its perch.

"Come on! What are you lying around for? It's right there! Let's go!" Nami pulled Sanji back up and sprinted after the bird.

Both the cook and the navigator arrived at a clearing, finding the rest of their crew resting there as well.

"Oh, hey Nami," Usopp waved, bruises all over his face.

Nami frowned, "What happened to you guys?"

Zoro spat, "The damn South Bird that's what, it's commanding the whole forest to go against us. Everything we've come across so far was out to kill us!"

"Ah," Sanji slapped his forehead in realization, "no wonder everything seemed so hostile to us!"

"JOEEE~~"

"Look out! He just gave out the command to charge!" Chopper yelled, turning his head towards the forest.

"Cloud formation! Robin, in the centre!" Nami yelled, it was her turn to take the lead today.

Sanji, Zoro and Chopper immediately moved to surround Nami and Robin, staying a short distance away from them. Usopp donned on his goggles and moved within the encirclement, head darting around in search of the enemy.

Usopp snapped his head towards his right, "On the right! Chopper!"

"I see them!" Chopper acknowledged, turning into his human form.

He braced himself just as a giant ladybug rammed itself against him, trying to throw him off balance. Chopper huffed as he threw the ladybug away, just in time to deflect another one that rolled towards him.

Usopp aimed his slingshot to his left, "Left now! Zoro!"

"Bring it!" Zoro grinned, eyeing the giant praying mantis that flew towards him with its arms extended.

The mantis slashed its left arm towards Zoro, aiming for his neck.

Zoro sneered at the attack as he ducked under it, sidestepping the follow up slash from its left arm before closing in to smash the handle of his sword on the mantis's head, stunning it. Zoro spun on his heel, kicking the mantis away to crash into another one that was flying towards him, eyes already set on his next target.

"Sanji!" Usopp released his slingshot, the projectile flying past the chef to land squarely between the eyes of a mole cricket.

"Thought you could sneak up on me?" Sanji raised his leg high into the air.

The mole cricket barely had time to recover from Usopp's projectile before Sanji brought his heel down on top of the creature, slamming it into the ground with a satisfying crunch.

Robin glanced up, "There's some coming from above too…"

A group of giant wasps dove down from the forest canopy towards their formation. Nami wasted no time in swinging the sections of her Clima tact together, forming a small cloud that floated upwards slowly into the air.

The wasps only sneered at the cloud without slowing down their descent, intending to dive through the cloud to reach the Straw Hats.

"Gotcha," Nami grinned, throwing her last host of bubbles into the cloud.

The previously fluffy white cloud turned into a sinister black colour almost immediately, shocking everything inside it with impunity.

A few seconds passed before a few charred remains of the wasps fell out of the cloud, crashing into the ground near the Straw Hats.

"Joeeee Joeee Joee~~"

Chopper glanced towards the South Bird perched a few meters away.

"He said that even though we repelled this attack, he's going to find more comrades to hunt us down as soon as he leaves. As if losers like us can catch it."

"That lousy bird…" Zoro spat, glaring at the bird with hate.

Before the South Bird could fulfill its promise, arms sprouted from the branch it was standing at and slapped the bird onto the forest floor. As it tried to untangle itself from the ground, more arms appeared around its body and held it down firmly.

"As long as I can see it, I can subdue it," Robin smiled wryly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Get a rope and tie that damn thing!" Sanji yelled, rolling up his sleeves.

"Laugh at us would you? Let's see you laugh now!" Nami sneered, pulling the rope taut in her hands.

The South Bird squawked in alarm at the approaching Straw Hats, struggling to get out of the submission hold Robin had it held in.

"Oh, don't need to struggle so much," Zoro grinned, tapping one of his unsheathed katanas meaningfully on his shoulder. "We'll be _really_ gentle with you…"

Nami grabbed the Bird by the neck, bringing up to her smiling face. It gulped nervously when it realized Nami's smile didn't reach her eyes.

"It's only fair right? After what you've put us through?"

The Straw Hats' eyes all had a very similar glint in them as they each advanced on the South Bird.

* * *

"Hey, so this means it's my win right? My team got the South Bird after all." Zoro shook the South Bird that was wrapped up like a mummy in his arms at the other Straw Hats.

"Ha? Please, if it's anybody's win, it would be Robin-chan's win! You barely did anything at all!" Sanji pointed an accusing finger.

Zoro glared at the cook, "She's part of my team right?! And I did fight those damn animals that this stupid bird sent at us!"

"I could've done the same too! There's no way this can be your win!"

"Oh, you want to go in and try again? Ero-cook?!"

"I'll take you on then you damn marimo!"

"QUIET!" Nami smacked them both on the head, snatching the bird away from Zoro's hands. "We already got the bird, I just want to get out of this stupid forest already. If you two want to fight go back in there and fight!"

""He started it…"" both Sanji and Zoro pointed at each other.

Usopp pushed his way out of the forest, spotting the familiar Rear Admiral sitting on the field, his back facing them.

"Hey Luffy! We're back!"

Luffy turned his head to see his crew members emerging with a broad grin on his face.

"Hey guys! Welcome back! Look what I found!" Luffy shifted his body aside, proudly showing the five South Birds that stood at rapt attention in front of him.

All of Straw Hats jaws hit the floor simultaneously.

"What… how?" Nami muttered.

"I took a walk inside the forest, then some bugs attacked me so I beat them all up. Then these guys started making a lot of noise so I beat them up too! Anyway! Look! Look! Their heads all point in one direction no matter what I do to them!"

To prove his point, Luffy turned each of their heads in different directions and laughed as they all turned back to face towards the south.

"What were we trying so hard for?" Sanji collapsed on to the floor crying.

"That's so awesome Luffy!" Chopper's eyes were sparkling.

"All the trouble and we could only get one…" Zoro sighed.

Robin stared at the Rear Admiral with renewed interest.

"Whatever… I don't care anymore…" Nami cried, drawing circles on the floor.

The group slowly made their way back to Cricket's place, most of them more exhausted then they had been moments before.

* * *

"What happened here?" Sanji gasped.

The Straw Hats returned only to find Cricket, Shoujou, Masira and all of their underlings beaten and sprawled all around the place.

"AAAHHH! MERRY!" Usopp cried.

The Straw Hat's ship had her main mast broken into two with the top half hanging across half the deck. Various holes littered along the sides of the ship as though someone had smashed through the hull repeatedly. The Marine insignia that once proudly decorated the sail had also been vandalised with a crudely drawn pirate symbol.

Chopper ran up towards Cricket, his medical bag already at his side with the rest of the Straw Hats trailing behind him.

"Mr. Cricket! Hang in there!" Chopper clasped onto the pirate captain.

Cricket coughed, opening his eyes slowly to see the Marines standing around him, worry evident on their faces.

Cricket wheezed, eyes locked onto the Rear Admiral, "Straw… Hat… I'm sorry…"

"Who did this?" Luffy asked simply.

Cricket pushed himself up, ignoring the protests of Chopper.

"No need to worry... we still have time to fix your ship… I see you already have the South Bird… You only need one of them though, six is a bit too many…"

Cricket tottered towards the Going Merry weakly, nudging the prone figures of Masira and Shoujou, "Hey, nap time's over… We have work to do."

"Who did this, Cricket?" Luffy fumed.

Cricket glanced over his shoulder at Luffy, the Rear Admiral's fists were clenched and he could clearly see the barely contained fury hidden behind the youth's eyes. Cricket sighed, turning his head and nodded at the pirate symbol that was crudely drawn on Merry's sail.

"That's the mark of the Bellamy pirates," Robin supplied helpfully.

"Bellamy…" Luffy whispered under his breath.

Nami glanced at her Rear Admiral, seeing the shadow cloud over his eyes. She stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder softly.

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you."

Luffy tilted his head, seeing the understanding in her eyes. Behind her stood the rest of the crew, all bearing the same set of eyes as her.

"Don't worry about it Luffy, we'll take care of these guys," Zoro grinned.

"Yeah, with my help, we'll fix up Merry in no time!" Usopp pumped his chest proudly.

"Make sure to give them an ass kicking they'll never forget you hear?" Sanji waved with a lazy smile.

"I'll make sure all of them are treated by the time you come back!" Chopper saluted proudly.

Away from the crew, Robin watched the crew with mild interest, not showing any reaction to the scene before her.

Luffy grinned slightly, cracking his knuckles, "I'll be right back."

The Rear Admiral leapt into the air, taking a second to orientate himself towards the town's direction before blasting himself off towards it.

"Alright! Let's get to work you guys! We have a ship to fix and patients to treat!" Nami yelled.

The crew gave her a mock salute, "yes ma'am!"

* * *

Back at the bar in Mocktown, the Bellamy pirates were throwing a lavish party for themselves. The bar that was usually rowdy and chaotic became even more so with the Bellamy pirates drinking, singing and hurling insults at one another.

"Hey! Remember the old guy we saw? I found out he's actually a pirate! I can't believe a pirate will try to protect a Marine ship!"

"Bwahaha! He kept on talking about dreamers protecting each others' dreams! I think he's gone loco!"

"Hahahaha! And did you see the look on his face when Bellamy hit him? Hilarious!"

"Oh! I think his face looked way better when we wrecked that Straw Hat's ship!"

"Right! Right! Old fart kept screaming at us not to touch that ship! Hahahaha!"

"Hey Bellamy! Was the haul from those guys even worth it?"

Bellamy knocked his head back as he downed the last of his beer, slamming the empty glass on the bar counter and wiping his mouth his the back of his free hand in satisfaction.

"Heh, it's not about the haul. It's about sending those meddling Marines a message to not mess with us. And this isn't an island they can just strut about as if they owned the damn place!"

The bar erupted in a roar of cheers, all the pirates raising their mug with Bellamy's declaration.

That was also the exact time a pirate rushed into the bar, flailing his arms about with a newspaper clutched in his hands.

"Bellamy! Bad news! Bad news! We best get out of here! We shouldn't have went after the Marine after all!"

The rowdy bar was instantly silenced as all eyes gathered on that pirate.

"What are you talking about?" Bellamy frowned.

"That Straw Hat Marine! He wasn't a Captain like we thought! He's a Rear Admiral! A damn Rear Admiral!"

"Ha! That pipsqueak a Rear Admiral? If he's such a big shot, we would at least have heard of him and what he's done before! He probably cheated his way up the ranks!"

"No Bellamy… He got promoted quite recently a few days ago… After he defeated the Shichibukai, Crocodile single handedly!"

There was a collective gulp as the rest of the pirates heard what he said. A Marine that could equal a Shichibukai, that was not an existence they wished to piss off.

"That's not all! It says here that he's actually the grandson of Garp the Fist!"

The grandson of the Marine hero Garp, that was _definitely_ not someone they want to piss off.

"Cheh, the newspaper probably exaggerated things to make the Marines look better. If he's the grandson of that Garp, he probably got credit for taking down that Shichibukai even when he didn't do anything. Not that hard when you have a Vice Admiral backing you." Bellamy waved his hand dismissively.

"But… Garp might set his sights on us for antagonizing his grandson!" One of the pirates protested.

"Hahahaha! The seas are vast! I hardly think a Vice Admiral has the time to sail all the way here to settle his grandson's squabble!"

Before the rest of the pirates could agree with him, the door of the bar was roughly shoved open, revealing a youth with a straw hat slung behind his Marine cloak.

The Rear Admiral glared hard at the seated pirate captain, "Bellamy…"

"Ah! We were just talking about you boy! How nice of you to drop by!" Bellamy grinned, raising his glass towards the Marine.

Luffy stepped towards the pirate, only to have Sarkies step in between them.

"Remember me boy? I haven't paid you back for my arm you know?!"

The pirate unsheathed the kukri behind his back with his free hand and slammed it down hard on Luffy's head. Instead of the blood that everyone was expecting to erupt, the blade shattered into a million pieces.

While Sarkies was still comprehending what has happened, Luffy had already raised his arm and backhanded the pirate across the face, sending him crashing through the wall and out onto the street.

"Bartender," Luffy glanced at the cowering man behind the counter. "I apologise in advance for wrecking your place."

Luffy tossed a bag of berries towards the bartender who caught it with both hands. He then looked at the pirates in the bar, "All of you will pay for hurting my friends."

"You insolent Marine!" Bellamy sprung himself from his seat, reducing the seat and the counter behind him into splinters.

The pirate captain leapt towards the Rear Admiral with his right fist clenched and aimed at his adversary's face.

The Rear Admiral swayed to the left and raised his hand to catch Bellamy by his face, instantly stopping his momentum that should've broken a normal person's arm in trying to stop him.

"Wha-" Bellamy gasped before he was flung back towards the bar, smashing him into the shelf behind the counter and shattering the wine bottles that lined the shelf.

"Get him!" The pirates leapt to their feet, drawing their weapons and attacking the lone Marine simultaneously.

" **Rankyaku** "

The Marine brought his right hand up and swung it down quickly in a chopping motion towards the pirates.

Moments later, screams reverberated throughout the bar as the group of pirates that was lunging towards the Marine all had their hands severed.

"Mon.. Monster!"

The Rear Admiral looked towards the pirate that had called him that, sending shivers down the pirate's spine. He realised the Rear Admiral's eyes were clouded over, almost like he was dead inside, or rather, he had killed his own emotions.

The Marine disappeared from his sight before a sharp pain blossomed from his abdomen. The pirate looked down to see a hand embedded in his belly, his sight travelled along the arm to once again stare into the lifeless eyes of the Marine.

"Kuh… Mon… ster…" The pirate gulped before collapsing.

"Curse you!" Another pirate slashed at him from behind.

The Marine back stepped nimbly, slashing his arm upwards as the sword came down towards his left. Blood and steel mixed as the sword was cut in half and the pirate had a deep slash wound across his chest.

"Cheh! Take this!"

Several pirates drew their guns and fired at the Marine

" **Soru** "

The Rear Admiral disappeared and rematerialised directly in front of the pirates, passing through the bullets' paths without harm and with both his arms crossed in front of his chest. He slashed his arms outwards, sending compressed air blades that utterly destroyed the guns and leaving deep slash marks across the pirates' chests, several of them losing their arms in the process.

"Aiieee!" Seeing the gruesome spectacle before them, it was hard not for some pirates not to scream.

A few decided they had enough and made a run towards the exit.

He appeared in front of them with his leg poised in the air, swinging it down and smashing the wooden floor.

The pirates were immediately sent flying back with various slash wounds across their body, crashing into the furniture littered across the room.

Bellamy now stared at the Rear Admiral with fear. He never knew he could feel that fear from someone that wasn't Doflamingo. In fact, even that Shichibukai had never instilled this much fear in him before. The one standing before him could not be described as human, not with those lifeless eyes that surveyed the people around him as nothing but targets.

At least the Shichibukai still retained his sense of reason.

At this point of time, all the pirates knew instinctively they could not win nor could they escape this monstrosity before them.

"Get… Get him!" On of them shouted through gritted teeth.

The pirates roared and charged, some of them shooting their guns while others slashed at him with their blades.

" **Soru** "

That was the word the ones closest to him heard before their visions were dyed red. The pirates that had attempted to close in with swords collapsed in a spray of their own blood. Gunshots rang out as the surviving pirates opened fire on the Marine in a panic, not even considering they might hit one of their own.

The Rear Admiral weaved through the hail of bullets and spun in a circle, slashing his arms outwards as he did so.

All of the pirates in the bar had collapsed with slash wounds over their bodies. The Marine now advanced towards the collapsed captain.

Bellamy was staring at him with a mixture of fear and awe now. Even with all of the blood splaying around, not a drop of it had landed on the Marine. Bellamy had now realised how truly foolish he was to challenge such an absurd being, he had been too arrogant to see the world was much more vast than he had imagined.

The Rear Admiral stared down at the pirate captain without a shred of emotion in his eyes. The cowering bartender could only see the word 'Justice' emblazoned across the Marine's back as he stood unmoving in front of the once feared pirate captain, struck down with impunity like his own pride.

Luffy raised his fist and Bellamy closed his eyes, already accepting his fate.

There was a loud crash when the Rear Admiral brought his fist down, shaking the very foundations of the bar.

"Consider this a warning," Luffy whispered as he retracted his fist.

Bellamy opened his eyes and watched the Marine walk out of the bar, stepping over his unconscious subordinates. He glanced to his left at the fist imprint the Rear Admiral had made in the wall, still smoking from the impact of his punch.

"What have I been doing all this while?" Bellamy whispered to no one in particular.

* * *

Luffy landed in the clearing in front of Cricket's house with a small sack slung behind him, his crew already helping to put the finishing touches on the ship.

The caravel had been reinforced with steel plating along its sides and two giant wings attached on top of them. The figurehead of Merry had also underwent a revamp with the crown of a rooster attached in between its horns.

"It looks like a turkey!" Luffy exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.

"Right? I thought so too!" Usopp gave a thumbs up proudly.

"Somehow, my faith in all this is dropping by the minute…" Nami sighed sadly.

Robin could only sympathize with her at the side.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go to Sky Island already!" Luffy declared.

"Set sail!" Chopper yelled enthusiastically.

Luffy's watched as his crew boarded their ship enthusiastically, beginning their preparations to set sail. He stood in front of Cricket, the bandaged pirate captain was seated on a chair just outside his house, staring at the sack that Luffy had unceremoniously dumped at his feet. The mouth of the sack was untied and several gold ornaments and piles of berry notes spilled out of it.

"That's Bellamy's isn't it?" Cricket raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Luffy just smiled at the question, not showing any signs of answering.

"I don't need it, you can keep them," Cricket sighed, tossing the smouldering cigarette he held in his hand aside.

"My superiors might see it as my acceptance of a bribe from a pirate to allow him to escape." Luffy grinned.

Cricket glanced at the Rear Admiral, rolling his eyes when he saw the grin that plastered Luffy's face.

"Consider it payment for the ship."

"Well I still don't want it, toss it in the sea or something."

Luffy made no move to reclaim the sack, Cricket didn't show any signs of claiming it either.

Luffy's shrugged, "You wanna come with us?"

"Ha?"

"To Sky Island, you want to see it for yourself too right?"

"Hahaha, I'm crazy boy, crazy enough to keep chasing this ghost of my ancestor but still not crazy enough to. Follow you up that stream. No, I'll be satisfied with just seeing you guys off to chase your own dreams."

Luffy grinned as though he already expected that answer, "Then keep the gold safe for us, we might lose it up there after all."

"You little scoundrel, then you better come back safely you hear?" Cricket returned his grin with one of his own. "Now get out of my sight, you have a stream to catch."

* * *

The Strawhats were led to the estimated location without an incident ahead of schedule, all they had to do now was to wait for the appointed time.

"You guys better come back and visit you here?!" Shoujou cried.

"And we'll have a big party for it! You have to tell us what you guys saw up there!" Masira cried as well.

"Yeah! There better be lots of food!" Luffy yelled enthusiastically.

Just as the crew were contemplating Beating up Luffy for his insensitivity, the sky darkened without warning.

"It's here! Right on time too!" Shoujou yelled, pointing at the huge mass of cloud currently drifting towards their position.

As if on cue, the waves started rocking back and forth, as if a plug had been released beneath the surface.

"What's going on now?!" Sanji stared at the waves.

"This can't be possible…" Nami gasped, Recognising the patterns of the waves. "Release the sails! We're getting out of here! A whirlpool is forming right under us!"

"No! You're exactly where you need to be! You'll be in danger if you move out now!" Masira protested.

"We'll be in danger if we _don't_ move out now!" Nami shouted back.

"Too late," Zoro pointed at the sea.

The ship was already within the whirlpool, slowly edging closer and closer towards the center.

"We're all going to die!" Usopp screamed, running head first into the mast and knocking himself out.

"Ahhh! Usopp's down! We need a doctor!" Chopper yelled.

"You're the doctor," Robin pointed out helpfully.

"Ahhh! You're right!"

"Man the rudder! Turn the ship with the waves! We'll ride along it!" Nami yelled as the rest scrambled to obey.

Despite their best efforts, Merry continued to edge closer and closer to the center, the roaring of the waves never seemed so deafening to the crew.

But as sudden as it came, the waves settled and the whirlpool vanished without a trace.

Nami blinked in surprise, "Wha-"

Her words were cut short as a huge pillar of water blasted from underneath their ship, hurling both the ship and the crew into the sky.

Masira, Shoujou and their crew saluted as they watch the Marine ship disappear into the sky with a tear in their eyes.

"AAARRGHHHH!" The crew screamed collectively.

"Yay! We're flying!" Luffy laughed as he clung onto the railing of the ship.

The crew couldn't even find the will to rebuke him anymore.

"Everyone hold on to something!" Sanji yelled, tying a rope around his waist while holding on to the still unconscious Usopp under his arm.

"We have a problem though," Robin glanced over the the ship with an uncharacteristic worry in her eyes.

Nami followed her gaze and gasped in horror.

"We're losing grip on the stream! At this rate we'll fall back down!"

"What do we do?!" Chopper cried, clinging on to the mast for dear life.

"Full sails! We'll use the updraft as our ride!"

Luffy lunged towards the rope that held down the sails, pulling it free to unfurl the sails fully. The ship jerked as the sails caught the wind, throwing the crew around the deck.

"Shit! Usopp!" Sanji yelled as he lost his grip on their sniper, sending him tumbling off the deck into open air.

"Zoro!" Luffy leapt towards the swordsman who had already unsheathed his sword.

"Better make it back with him!" Zoro slashed out with the flat side of his blade just as Luffy stepped on it, propelling him towards Usopp.

At this point of time, Usopp had already regained consciousness and was now screaming out his lungs and flailing about, trying and failing to fly.

Luffy grabbed his crewmate's hand, pulling him towards him.

"Hold on! **Freestyle Armament: Tekkai Sai!** "

Usopp held on for dear life as they both accelerated towards their ship. He felt something spill on his face and initially dismissed it for water from the spray, only realising it was blood when he saw the gaping wounds that marred Luffy's legs.

"Luffy! You're bleeding!"

Luffy only smiled lightly, watching the ship gradually gaining distance away from him.

 _Still so weak…_

Luffy thought those words to himself bitterly.

" **Soru**!"

He just managed to reach the back end of the ship, his fingertips barely brushing against the railing.

" **Freestyle Armament:** **Tek-** "

An intense pain flooded through Luffy's body and a feeling of vertigo assaulted his senses, his wounds might have healed over the last few days, but he still lost a lot of blood that has not been fully replaced. Now he could feel his vision fading again from his blood loss. He looked back at Usopp who still clung to him with hope in his eyes, believing everything was ok.

"Sorry Usopp," Luffy smiled sadly.

He gritted his teeth and threw Usopp overhead, smiling when he saw Usopp landing safely at the back of the ship.

"Well… That's that…" Luffy sighed.

He closed his eyes as he hurtled back towards the sea below, a smile on his face, even he couldn't survive a fall of this height after all.

"Sorry guys, I couldn't keep my promises after all…"

Luffy thought bitterly as darkness took him in its embrace.


	24. Chapter 24: Heads In The Clouds

_A/N: Heya! You guys might want to know that my service in the army is ending soon, time sure flies by when you don't pay attention. I really want to thank all of you for sticking with me through these years even when I can't post as often as I did before. Especially the PMs you sent me asking about me. Thank you so much! :D For the newcomers, I hope you do enjoy my stories enough to stay with me for this ride, I have so much planned ahead and I just need to get it down in ink :P_

 _As usual Enjoy! :D_

* * *

Luffy cracked open his eyes, expecting the pain to hit him as soon as he did, surely falling from that height should have done some damage.

Instead he felt fine, maybe a bit sore, but fine nevertheless. His vision adjusted and white fluffy clouds greeted him, floating lazily through a sinfully clear blue sky.

"So this is what heaven is like?" Luffy mused, watching the clouds drifting by.

He chuckled before feeling something shifting its weight on top of him. Fearing the worst, he glanced down to see Robin clinging on top of him, her head resting on his chest.

Confused, he finally glanced at his surroundings, finding himself on the deck of Merry and his crew all around him in various states of unconsciousness.

He carefully lifted the unconscious woman and placed her gently on the deck beside him, mindful not to wake her. Luffy then proceeded to inspect his crew who were sprawled on the deck in various positions, dutifully ignoring Usopp who was face planted with his ass high in the air on the deck.

The Rear Admiral squatted in front of his navigator who was lying on her back and began prodding at her face with a finger.

Nami groaned as she opened her eyes to see Luffy with a stupid grin on his face.

"Good morning Nami," Luffy smiled as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Good morning Luffy," Nami smiled back, drawn into believing it was just another usual day on the ship by his smile.

It took a few seconds before the navigator's eyes opened wide and sat bolt upright.

"NO! What happened?! You idiot! How can you do something so reckless?!" Nami screamed, grabbing the collar of her Rear Admiral.

"I had to save Usopp! And I'm fine aren't I?" Luffy protested while being shaken back and forth by his navigator.

"That's no excuse! We came to this place because of you! At least take responsibility of bringing us back down! What's the meaning if you aren't here at all?!"

By now the rest of the crew were starting to wake from her shouts, each of them getting up to survey their surroundings.

"Ugh… Did we make it?" Sanji groaned, massaging his head.

"Either that or we're all dead," Zoro nodded as he stared at the clouds.

"Scary, scary… The sky is scary…" Chopper cried in a corner.

"I'm fine right? I'm fine? Yeah, I'm fine," Usopp patted himself down with sweat pouring down his face.

Robin stayed silent and stared at Luffy still enduring the shaking from Nami.

"I would still like to know what happened to me though? I thought I fell off the ship?" Luffy asked when Nami finally got tired of shaking him.

"Robin saved you," Nami crossed her arms, seemingly still unappeased.

The archaeologist simply shrugged when Luffy gave her an inquisitive gaze.

"You're much more useful to me alive than dead," Robin smiled.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _NO! LUFFY!" Usopp yelled from the back of the ship, watching the figure of his Rear Admiral shrinking further and further away. His arm was stretched out towards the figure as though he could just reach out and pull him back to safety._

 _But of course, something like that couldn't happen since his arm could not stretch. He cursed his powerlessness in his mind as Luffy continued falling further and further away from him._

 _As though something had answered his call, Usopp watched in amazement as he saw his arm stretch towards Luffy. Did he consume a Devil Fruit by accident? One that allowed him to stretch? Or maybe it was a power that had laid dormant in his body all this time that finally took shape now?_

" _Don't move your arm!" A voice yelled behind him._

 _Usopp jumped at the unexpected voice from over his shoulder, taking a quick glance back to see Nico Robin with both her arms crossed in front of her chest._

 _Usopp turned back to realise that what he thought was his arm stretching was actually multiple arms joined together from elbow to palm materialised from his palm._

 _Usopp did his best to fight back the scream that threatened to spill out from his throat._

 _Robin paid no heed to the sniper as she doubled her efforts in materialising her arms to catch the free falling Luffy, the spray that continuously soaked their figures from the knockout stream was not helping either._

 _Robin gritted her teeth as an arm finally reached him and grabbed on to Luffy's leg, halting his descent._

 _Usopp looked on with awe as the arms began to retract into his palm and pulled the Rear Admiral along with it._

 _But before they could relax, their navigator yelled a warning, "we're reaching the clouds! He has to come back before that!"_

 _If they lose sight of Luffy within the clouds, he would be as good as gone._

 _With an uncharacteristic yell, Robin flipped the remaining arms upwards, tossing Luffy towards the ship._

 _Usopp yelled out in alarm as he watched Luffy ragdoll towards them. He reached out both his arms to catch him but was a second too late as Luffy crashed head first into him, sending him sprawling on the deck._

 _Robin cursed inwardly as she watched the Marine spiral towards her direction, reaching out to catch him while sprouting another pair of arms to hold down the already unconscious Usopp._

 _Twisting her body to absorb the impact, she slammed Luffy unceremoniously on the floor just as the ship burst into the clouds._

' _Ugh… No air…'_

 _Robin thought as she leaned her bodyweight on the damned Marine to hold him down in place, marvelling for a moment the fact that it was her turn to save him before blacking out along with the rest of the crew._

* * *

"Oh, thanks Robin!" Luffy grinned sheepishly while scratching his head.

"With that said, I still can't believe we actually made it," Robin tucked her hair behind her ear, admiring the tranquil landscape before the ship.

The crew followed her lead in surveying their surroundings, marvelling at the milky whiteness of the sea and clouds.

"If someone told me this was heaven, I might believe him," Zoro grinned.

"All I need now are angels to come receive me to heaven!" Sanji spreaded his arms out wide while looking up into the sky.

Zoro snorted, "You? The only people who would welcome you are the devils in hell waiting to feast on you."

"At least they find me delectable enough, the devils would only find amusement in dumping you with the trash!"

"You damn dartbrow!"

"You wanna go you little marimo?!"

"Shut up or I'll send you both to hell myself!" Nami yelled, punching them both into the deck.

"On another note, do you guys think it's a little bit more difficult to breathe now?" Usopp huffed, taking in lungfuls of air.

Everyone looked at each other as they took notice of their own breathing.

Robin frowned, "Indeed, it must be due to the different levels of oxygen at different altitudes. We are not natives here after all."

"Huu… It's a little difficult for me too, even though I'm used to staying at altitudes…" Chopper breathed.

"Eh? Really? I don't feel that different though?" Luffy tilted his head.

' _Nobody asked you, you damn monster!'_ Everyone glared at him with the same thought.

"Putting that aside, you guys think angels ride on birds and carry lances to welcome the dead?" Usopp pointed towards the sky.

Everyone looked up to see an armored knight with a lance in his hand flying towards their ship on a giant bird. The bird let out a screech as it flared its wings, slowing down its descent to hover in front of their ship.

The knight hefted his lance on his shoulder, eyeing each of the Straw Hats individually before speaking, "Seeing your confused faces, are you guys lost?"

The Straw Hats looked at one another.

"Well, we technically are since we don't know where this place is exactly, we came up here without a concrete plan after all," Nami pointedly glared at Luffy who was whistling away without a care.

"Came up here? Are you all citizens of the blue sea by chance?"

"Blue sea? If you're asking if we came from below the clouds then yes, we did," Sanji supplemented.

The knight raised his eyebrows in interest, "Ho? I see, I see. Still the others are quite irresponsible for letting blue sea dwellers like you guys venture out here, did none of the other islanders give you a map?"

"Islanders? We saw no one ever since we came here…" Nami frowned.

"What? To not see anyone coming up here… Did you guys come by that monstrous stream?!"

"YOU MEAN THERE'S OTHER WAYS OF GETTING HERE?!" Nami screamed.

"Well… we're here anyway right?" Luffy scratched his ear absentmindedly.

Nami screamed as she strangled him, "YOU ALMOST DIED REMEMBER?! YOU'RE NOT IN ANY POSITION TO SAY THAT!"

Nami finally collapsed in a corner and started drawing circles on the ground, "If we had just spent more time getting information, we could have found a safer method to get up here…"

"Hmmm… I admire your crew's courage to use this method to get up here," the knight grinned, reaching his free hand to dig through his pockets.

"I am known as Gan Fall, the Knight of The Sky, I work as a freelance mercenary and usually I'll charge five million extols for my services, but…"

He tossed out a whistle that landed on the deck with a soft clang.

"As a gift of welcome to Sky Island, the first time you call me for help shall be free, but I'll still charge you for subsequent calls."

"What's an extol?" Robin asked while picking up the whistle.

"Ah right, I believe you people use the Berry currency right? One berry is equivalent to ten thousand extols. If you're looking to go further upwards to the white white sea, you should head in that direction, it'll be the closest city to you guys now."

Gan Fall pointed in the direction of a cloud that looked liked a waterfall.

"I bid you travellers good luck, and may we meet again!" Gan Fall gave a salute with his lance before flying off on his bird.

The crew watched his silhouette disappear before simultaneously turning their eyes to the whistle that Robin held in her hand.

"Well, we'll hold on to that for now in case we do need his help. Since we have nowhere else to go, I suppose we're heading towards this 'white white sea' he mentioned?" Nami glanced at Luffy.

"Alright! Let's head to the white white sea!"

* * *

"If you want to go up, it's one billion extol per person…" an old lady with small angel wings on her back spoke monotonously while taking pictures of the crew.

The Straw Hats had navigated their ship through the narrow cloud channel to reach the bottom of the cloud waterfall that had a giant "Heaven's Gate" sign on it. All the while, the crew had to keep Luffy's hands off the whistle when he wanted to blow it just to see what it sounded like. When they had reached the gate, the old lady had appeared from a side door and demanded the fee from them.

"One billion extols… That's one hundred thousand berries per person right?" Usopp looked at Nami with uncertainty.

"Umm… What if we don't pay?" Nami tried asking.

"You still can go up."

"THEN WHAT'S THE POINT?!" The crew deadpanned.

"Then we'll just go right ahead then!" Usopp grinned, already steering the ship towards the end of the tunnel.

"Absolutely not! We are Marines! And as upholders of Justice, we can't neglect the laws of other lands as well!" Luffy protested.

"But… Luffy… We're paying seven hundred thousand berries just to enter this place that we don't even know of… For all we know it might be a scam!" Nami tried protesting.

"It's not like we don't have enough money to pay for it right?" Luffy tilted his head.

"True… but…" Nami glared at the old lady who was smirking in their direction for some unknown reason.

"Come on, it'll be a bad example for us to not follow another country's laws and still call ourselves upholders of justice at the same time, right?" Luffy grinned.

"Oh fine! I'll go get it!" Nami groaned, trudging downstairs to prepare the money.

Robin noticed the old lady's smile turned into a frown almost instantly but said nothing.

Nami tossed the bag of berries towards the old lady with a sour look, "there! Now let us through!"

The old lady hmphed as the bag landed in front of her, making no move to touch it. The water below Merry suddenly exploded upwards and two claws gripped the sides of the ship.

Before the crew could decide if they should subdue the sudden threat, the old lady spoke with a little irritation in her voice, "that's white sea's Speedy Shrimp, it'll send you up the waterfall."

Just as the words left her mouth, the ship accelerated forwards while in the claws of the shrimp, ascending the waterfall in record time.

"This is so cool!" Luffy yelled, his eyes sparkling as he watched the gate disappear behind the ship.

"These clouds do not seem to be formed naturally," Robin pointed out.

"There's another gate up ahead!" Usopp pointed.

"Godland Skypeia! It's the same name as the map!" Chopper yelled excitedly.

"It feels like we're really ascending to heaven," Sanji grinned.

"Maybe we're already dead huh," Zoro smirked.

"The money…" Nami cried while staring wistfully at the gate.

The shrimp catapulted the ship out into the opening, landing the ship safely on the other side of the tunnel in a shower of spray. Right in front of them, a huge city within the clouds laid shining in the light,.

"There's an island! It's an island in the sky!" Chopper yelled excitedly.

"Land the ship! We're going ashore!" Luffy pumped his fists into the air.

Within moments of landing, the crew were already disembarking the ship and running around the beach of the island in glee.

"Ahhh… It's been so long since I've been on a beach! Maybe that money was worth it after all!" Nami stretched contentedly.

Robin had a slight smile as she walked along the beach, marvelling the architecture of the buildings around.

"Waaa! This beach is so soft!" Chopper exclaimed, rolling around on the ground.

"This is not sand… Is this a cloud?" Zoro pondered as he stepped onto the beach.

"Why is this fruit so hard!?" Usopp complained as he tried to pry open the coconut-like fruit he had found.

"Nami-swaan! Robin-chwaan! I found flowers for you!" Sanji leaped around with hearts for eyes.

"This is so fun!" Luffy laughed while hanging off a tree.

"Suu! Suu!"

Luffy heard a slight mewling sound and glanced downwards, finding a small fox like creature staring back at him, tilting its head at him slightly.

At that time, the melodious and soothing music of a harp reached the ears of the Straw Hats. Their sights instantly turned towards a small outcropping at the edge of the beach, finding a young girl with twin braided hair and angelic wings on her back strumming slowly on her hand harp.

"Heso!" The girl greeted with a charming smile.

"It's an angel! A real angel!" Sanji cried, collapsing on his knees with adoration in his eyes.

The fox scampered to the feet of the girl who bent down to pick it up before smiling at the Straw Hats.

"Are you perhaps visitors from the blue sea?"

"Yes, we just came from the White Sea, are you perhaps a local here?" Nami asked.

The girl's smile grew wider at Nami's words, "Yes, I live here. My name is Conis, it's very nice to meet you."

Conis noticed the fruit that Usopp was carrying in his arms, "ah that's a Gaunasu, do you want to drink it?"

She gently placed the fox on the ground and received the fruit from Usopp, fishing out a small carving knife from her pocket before easily stabbing it into the bottom of the fruit.

"The exterior of the fruit is like steel but a small area at the bottom can be easily cut out."

Conis carefully carved out a small hole at the bottom before inserting a straw in and passing it back to Usopp.

"IT TASTES GREEEAAAAATTT!" Usopp yelled out in admiration as soon as he took a sip.

"Please open this one too!" Chopper presented his fruit to Conis.

"I want to try too!" Luffy held the fruit with one hand and raised a finger in preparation to stab it.

Conis noticed he was holding the fruit the wrong way up, "Ah, wait! That's the top of the-"

" **Shigan!** "

Luffy stabbed his finger into the fruit before pulling out to reveal the perfectly circular hole his finger produced, grinning at his handiwork. Whilst Conis was still trying to comprehend what had just transpired, Luffy had already tossed his head back and dumped the contents of the fruit into his mouth.

"Oh, you don't need to mind him, he's abnormal." Nami sighed. "Rather than that, there's still some things I'd like to ask you about."

"Oh," Conis recovered from her shock quickly upon hearing Nami's words. "Of course! I'd be happy to answer anything you don't understand."

At that point of time, Zoro perked up as he head a slight swooshing sound from the sea. He turned his sights to see a small figure riding on something resembling a small boat with handlebars attached to its prow.

"Heads up, something's coming this way," Zoro warned while unclasping his blade.

"Oh that's my father, heso father!" Conis waved towards the approaching figure.

"Heso Conis, my darling Daughter!" The figure shouted back while still expertly manipulating the vehicle towards the beach. "Excuse me, I'm going to stop now."

Contrary to his words, the vehicle increased its speed instead, hurtling towards the beach and out of the water, crashing into the trees behind and sending the man flying into the bushes.

"Is anyone hurt?" The man stood up on shaky legs while pushing his way out of the bushes.

"Ask yourself that first!" Zoro yelled at him.

Nami eyed the aquatic vehicle that laid on the ground, "What kind of boat is that?"

"Oh, that's a waver, it's one of the things we use as transports here." Conis explained with a smile.

"Hello there, are these your friends, Conis?" the man asked while lifting the waver from the ground to set it upright.

"Yes, I just met them father, they're from the Blue sea."

"Oh! Nice to meet all of you! Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Pagaya, welcome to the White White Sea. If it pleases you, we can be your hosts during your stay here, I just happened to have caught a few Sky Lobsters from my fishing trip."

"Alright! We'll be troubling you then!" Usopp cheered.

Sanji rolled up his sleeves, "If you're making sky island cuisine, please allow me to help!"

Nami inspected the waver before addressing Pagaya, "Ummm… Before that, may I know how this waver works? I do not see any sails or paddles of any kind on it, how is it able to move on the sea?"

"Ah, that's right, you do not know what a 'dial' is right? There is a shell shaped device strapped at the back of the waver, that's what powers it." Conis explained.

Nami spots the shell shaped device just as described, but she still couldn't see how it would allow the boat to move. "But how does it work?"

"The shell attached to the back of the waver is called a 'wind dial', after being exposed to half an hour of wind, it can be used to release half an hour of wind too." Pagaya explained.

Usopp scratched his chin, "so, it's like a container of some sort?"

"That is correct, other than the wind dial, there is also the heat dial, scent dial and light dial just to name a few of them. Sky Island's culture revolves around the usage of these dials."

Conis presented a shell towards Zoro, "this is a tone dial, you can say anything you want into it and press the button on top of the shell to play it back"

"Dartbrow is an ero-cook" Zoro said without hesitation.

"Why you damn marimo!" Sanji rolled up his sleeves.

Ignoring the cook, Zoro pressed the button on the shell.

"Dartbrow is an ero-cook. Why you damn marimo!"

"Wow the shell talked!" Luffy peered over Zoro's shoulder to look at the shell with interest.

"Sky Island is so interesting!" Chopper exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.

"For an entire culture to revolve around this, I wonder how it was first found and used…" Robin pondered with a distant look in her eyes.

"Hey, I want to ride the waver thing! Can I mister?" Luffy yelled enthusiastically.

"Of course, here, I'll show you how to control it," Pagaya led the excited Rear Admiral towards the waver.

"If the sea here has no bottom, where do these shells come from?" Zoro asked, still holding on to the shell.

"We get them from the edges of the beach," Conis gestured to the length of the beach they were standing on.

There was a loud whoosh sound from behind them as Luffy sped off into the sea on the waver.

"Wow he did it!" Chopper exclaimed.

Just as the words left his mouth, the waver hit a wave and catapulted into the air, spinning wildly out of control as Luffy was flung into the air along with it.

Luffy gritted his teeth as he held on tightly to the waver, kicking the air beneath his feet to control his spinning, eventually stopping himself in midair. He realised that the waver was harder to control than it looked, even the tiniest of waves could send the waver flying out of control. A person like him who could not even navigate a ship properly could never ride the waver on his first try. Dejected, he returned to the beach while carrying the waver on his back.

The two Skypieans stood unmoving with their eyes wide and mouth open at the sight of the Marine flying towards them with the waver in his hands, as if they were witnessing the descent of God right in front of them.

The rest of the Straw Hats immediately ran up to him as he landed.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly lose control like that?" Sanji asked perplexed.

"Ah… This thing is harder to control than it looks…" Luffy scratched his head sheepishly. "I think only Nami can drive this properly."

Nami tilted her head, "Eh? Me? Why?"

"You need to take the movements of the sea into account while driving it, to be competent at it, it might take a long time for a person to learn…"

The crew turned their heads to look at the two Skypeians.

Conis was the first to recover her wits, "ah… That's right, I've been practicing since I was little and I only managed to succeed recently."

"It's that hard? I wanted to try it…" Chopper frowned.

Usopp caught Nami eyeing the waver, "Nami, why don't you give it a try?"

"Can I?" She looked uncertainly in Conis and Pagaya's direction.

Before either of them could answer, Luffy gave a slight push on her back, giving a slight nod when she turned to look at him.

With just that nod, she got on the waver with Luffy's guidance before accelerating out into the sea. Upon hitting the first wave, she felt the waver's handle jerk violently and she almost lost her grip on it. Immediately, her navigator instincts took over and she begun expertly navigating through the waves as her eyes read the currents and patterns before her.

She gave an involuntary yelp of glee as she sped through the waves smoothly, weaving in and out of the waves.

"She did it!" Chopper yelled enthusiastically.

"Nami-swan is as awesome as always!" Sanji cheered with hearts in his eyes.

The shouts finally shook Pagaya out of his stupor to see the navigator easily mastering the waver moments after using it for the first time., shocking him into another instance of silence.

"I see why Luffy thinks I can handle it now," Nami grinned. The precision needed was one thing but her ability to read the patterns of the sea as easily as an open book helped her immensely with controlling the waver.

Swerving through the waves with ease, she showed no signs that it was her first time riding a waver.

"Mister! Can I play a little longer?" Nami yelled as she rode past the beach.

"Of… Of course, just be careful please," Pagaya finally recovered enough to answer back.

"In the meantime, why don't the rest of you come to our house?" Conis suggested.

The Straw Hats readily agreed and the two Skypieans led the way out of the beach towards their home.

While ascending a set of stairs, Luffy joined Conis's side while ignoring Sanji who was still spouting love poems for her.

"Miss Conis, how is the state of order here? Are there a lot of troublemakers?"

"Oh, no Mr Luffy, the White Berets ensure law and order around here. There are hardly, if any, crime to begin with." Conis answered with her usual smile.

"The White Berets?"

"Yes, they are our law enforcers and have always taken the safety of the people very seriously."

"Wow! I'd like to meet them if I have the chance," Luffy said wistfully.

Conis giggled, "Well, they are within the city, so if you decide to visit it you would definitely bump into one."

"Ah, then we'll definitely have to visit the city later!"

Arriving at the top of the stairs, a white, two-story bungalow came into view at the edge of a cloud.

Pagaya gestured to the building with an open palm, "Welcome to my home, I hope you will find your stay here enjoyable."

The Straw Hats immediately made themselves at home. Zoro was already napping on the couch, Sanji was helping out in the kitchen, Chopper and Usopp rolling around on the soft cloud carpet in the living room, Robin sitting by the balcony and staring at the sea with a wistful look and the Rear Admiral poking at everything he saw.

"What's this? What's this?" Luffy poked at a brightly lit shell on the table.

"That's a lamp dial," Conis explained cheerfully.

"And this?"

"That's another wind dial."

"Wheeeeeee~~" Luffy yelled out in delight as wind blew out from the shell after he pressed the button.

"Sky Island is so interesting!" Chopper exclaimed, still rolling around on the carpet.

"Lunch is ready!" Sanji threw open the door to the kitchen, immediately filling the living room with the aromatic scent of freshly made Sky Island delicacies.

Balancing two trays of food on his hands, he served the dining table that the crew had already settled themselves into with a proud smile. His Rear Admiral was already reaching out for the first plate of food on the table while fighting off their sniper and doctor at the same time.

Nami also came into the house with a refreshed look on her face at that time.

"Seems like I'm just on time," Nami grinned, accepting a towel from Conis to wipe off the sweat on her forehead.

"If you guys would like to, we can visit the city after this for a tour around?" Conis giggled, leading the navigator to their dining table.

Nami nodded excitedly, "that would be lovely."

"I would very much like to visit your city's library too," Robin commented while taking a sip of her coffee.

"Nami-swaaan~~ Your food is readyyy~~" Sanji sang as he danced around her with a tray of food in his hand.

"Where's my food you shitty cook!?" Zoro waved his fist furiously at the love-struck cook, gesturing to the distinctly empty space in front of him.

"Well, you can go make your own, you ungrateful marimo!" Sanji shouted back.

"This tastes so good!" Usopp, Chopper and Luffy exclaimed together with tears in their eyes.

Both Pagaya and Conis could only smile at how lively their house had become.

* * *

Right after having a fulfilling lunch, the two Skypieans led the Straw Hats to the city for their much anticipated city trip. Currently, they were gathered in the city square where a large fountain was built and crystal clear water sprouted out from its many nozzles.

"May I suggest that we meet back here in about two hours time?" Pagaya suggested.

The Straw Hats cheered in agreement. Deciding to split up to explore the city on their own, Sanji dragged a begrudged Zoro to look for the city's local produce, all the while ignoring the swordsman's complaints on the city's lack of a sword store.

Conis had took it upon herself to guide the crew's doctor and archaeologist to the city's library, the former seeking out the local medical knowledge while the latter aiming to understand the city's history.

Usopp had managed to implore Pagaya to impart his knowledge of Sky Island's dials to him, thus the dial mechanic had agreed to introduce him to the various dial mechanics in the city.

Before Luffy could escape, Nami had already roped him in as her personal baggage boy on her shopping trip around the city, only managing to shut him up after promising to let him ride on the waver with her afterwards.

Entering one of the many clothing stores, the female store clerk greeted them with a friendly smile.

"The locals here are surprisingly friendly to foreigners," Nami remarked casually while rifling through the clothing racks of the store.

Luffy shrugged, "perhaps they're all nice people."

Nami rolled her eyes at his answer as she picked another set of clothes from the rack to dump it within the growing pile on Luffy's arms.

"I would at least be a bit suspicious of them… Don't you think everything that has been going on so far feels out of place?"

Luffy tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

Nami held one of the shirts up to her chest in front of the mirror, "Well, Conis and Pagaya immediately volunteered to be hosts to a group of strangers, the locals here treat us like VIPs and no one ever questioned who we actually are."

She turned on her heels towards Luffy and gestured to the shirt, "what do you think?"

"Colours seem a bit too dull," Luffy said seriously.

Nami nodded in agreement before placing it back on the rack, seemingly not surprised by how different he was acting.

"Anyway, they might really just be very friendly. The control of weapons seem to be very strict here,"

Nami shrugged, dumping another shirt into Luffy's arms before pushing Luffy in the direction of the changing rooms, giving the store clerk a slight smile and nod.

"Sit here," Nami commanded, pointing to the stool in front one of the changing cubicles before relieving Luffy of the clothes and entering the cubicle.

"In all seriousness, I doubt the lack of weapons is attributed to their friendly nature," Nami called out among the rustling of clothing.

Luffy checked over his shoulders to make sure the store clerk was not within earshot, "unless the law here forbids the carrying of weapons?"

"That would land our dear Zoro in a bit of a predicament wouldn't it? But judging from both Conis and Pagaya's inaction, I don't think that's the case."

The curtain to the cubicle was thrown open, revealing Nami in a revealing pair of shorts that only covered the barest of thighs and a shirt that was cut above her belly.

"Too small, maybe add a cardigan or something…" Luffy mumbled.

Nami grinned before closing the curtain again, secretly glad that the dozens of shopping trips she had forced Luffy to accompany her had paid off.

"If it isn't because of an arbitrary rule, why do you think they are so welcoming to us then?"

Luffy scratched his head, "You don't suppose it's going to be like those Baroque Works agents? I heard they use welcoming attitudes to lower their victims' guards before attacking them."

"I suppose it makes sense if we have bounties on us, but not here. From what my instincts tell me, their attitude seems quite genuine."

"Then we can say that they are actually nice people then?"

Nami didn't answer but pulled open the curtain after a few moments. This time she wore a tight fitting pair of blue jeans and a red buttoned shirt that she tied a knot at her midriff thrown over a white diaphanous blouse that accentuated her chest.

"Enticing enough."

Winking at her Rear Admiral, Nami closed the curtain back again.

"Would you be a dear and call the store clerk for me please?"

Luffy stuck his tongue out before waving the store clerk over, just as Nami exited the cubicle with a large pile of clothes in her arms.

"I'll take these, will you wrap them for me?"

"Certainly, please wait a moment," the clerk flashed her a smile.

When the clerk was out of sight, Luffy felt a hand grab his arm and pull him into the cubicle.

"Nami… Doing it here is a bit…" Luffy protested.

"Shush," Nami silenced him with a finger. The cubicle itself was big enough to fit two people so they did not have to squeeze together, but Nami still stuck closely to him to keep her voice down.

"There's a reason why I think this place is not what it seems to be, I saw something I wasn't supposed to see when I was riding the waver," Nami breathed into his ear.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _This is… land?" Nami gasped._

 _In front of her was a large stretch of land that had giant trees among the clouds. It was the first time that she had seen actual land instead of clouds on Skypiea._

 _Nami frowned, "I have a bad feeling about this place…"_

 _Just as she was deciding if it would be wise to turn back, a projectile flew past her side and sped within the forest, exploding and throwing up a cloud of smoke._

 _Nami looked over her shoulders to see a man with an exposed muscular chest and a mask on his face standing impassively behind her, a smoking rocket launcher rested on his shoulders._

 _Nami's hand immediately went to her climatact, unsure if the newcomer meant her harm._

" _Hey! Please help me!" A voice shouted from the forest._

 _Nami's head whipped back to see a rugged man full of injuries crawling towards her from within the smoke._

" _Please, you got to help me! Get me out of here!"_

 _Nami's hand tightened on her climatact but did not respond to the man's pleas._

 _The man then noticed the person standing behind Nami, "Eh, raider?"_

 _A pillar of light engulfed the rugged man. Without time for the man to scream, the light gave way to a huge lightning column, disintegrating the man and the area around him._

" _Enel! How dare you do that to VEarth!" The raider behind Nami cursed._

" _Get a water dial!"_

" _Hurry! Put the fire out!"_

 _Several voices drifted from within the smoke. The raider cursed under his breath before speeding away._

" _Tch, I was so close too…" a man wearing an aviator cap with goggles attached spat._

" _Wasn't that guy talking to someone just now?" A man with spiky hair questioned._

" _It's probably the raider that got away just now." Another with a distinctly round body snorted._

" _Why did Lord Enel take action personally though?" A bald man questioned._

" _We probably took too long," the spiky haired man sighed._

 _The round man shrugged, "Well, that means we're all out of toys to play with."_

" _Weren't there seven new visitors recently?"_

" _They paid the entrance fee, so we can't touch them."_

" _Does that even matter? Just get the locals to arrange an accident or something, then incriminate them with it."_

" _Just get their 'hosts' to do it. They won't suspect a thing, just like the rest that came before them."_

" _Hehehe! Let's do that then!"_

 _The men left the area laughing among themselves._

 _Nami gulped nervously, finally peeking out from the tree root she was hiding behind._

" _Luffy, you better get us out of this mess…" Nami cursed silently before spending away on the waver._

* * *

"I… I see…" Luffy scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"We need to get out of here, _now_."

Luffy nodded lightly, "We'll meet up with the rest, I still want to see those White Berets that Conis talked about, maybe I can get more information from them before we leave."

"What other information do we even need? We just need to get out of here!"

Luffy snickered, "How? Don't suppose you want me to carry the ship on my back and jump off the cloud? I can try if you want me to."

Nami bit her lip in frustration, finally realising the glaring problem that they were currently thousands of meters in the air away from solid ground.

"You can tell the rest about our plan to escape, I'll get as much information I can and get back to you guys."

"Alright then, I'll push us out to sea by the end of today, in the meantime, we'll need to be wary of everyone around us."

Luffy nodded, opening the curtain to step out into the shop.

The store clerk was waiting at the counter with a bright red face and the clothes packed and ready.

"Ummm… Your… Your package is ready!" She blurted out while blushing.

Luffy and Nami glanced at each other, realising the misunderstanding the store clerk had of what they were doing in the cubicle. Nami giggled lightly, deciding to use her misunderstanding to their advantage.

"Darling, help me hold on to those won't you," Nami laughed while latching on to Luffy's arm.

Luffy grinned widely at the clerk, picking up the bags and giving her a wink before leading his navigator out the store towards the meeting place, ignoring the "kyaa" sounds echoing behind.

* * *

"What kind of city doesn't have a sword shop of any kind? Really?" Zoro grumbled, his hands full of bags containing various different kinds of ingredients.

The chef trailed behind him with hearts for eyes, his arms similarly burdened with food, "this city is simply heaven! So many angels all around! Maybe I should ask the cake shop's Gina-chan out tonight? Or the grocer Madonna-chan? Or maybe even the florist Vita-chan? Ah this place is just too perfect!"

Zoro dumped the bags in front of Luffy who only grinned at him silently, swinging his legs while sitting on the fountain ledge.

"Please don't put me with him ever again."

"No promises," Luffy laughed.

"The medical knowledge of this place is truly wondrous! I never thought hypothyroidism could be treated that way!" Chopper exclaimed.

"With their ancestors expanding into the lower clouds, much more unique resources became available for them to use for all kinds of purposes. I guess that's also when their culture changed the most." Robin remarked.

Conis giggled, "I'm glad our library has been of help to both of you."

"Their library was really big Luffy! We should go there together next time!" Chopper tugged at Luffy's cloak excitedly.

"They had some collection of maps too," Robin added.

"They do? Perhaps next time then," Nami smiled sadly.

Robin raised an eyebrow at her reaction but did not comment.

"There's so many things dials can do! I'm already itching to try out some of my ideas!" Usopp gazed at the dials he held in his hands while walking towards the fountain in a daze.

"Hoho, I look forward to see the things you will make, Mr. Usopp." Pagaya laughed.

"Hey guys! Look! I managed to get quite a number of dials! You won't believe what some of these dials can actually do!" Usopp waved towards them enthusiastically.

"Mr. Luffy, I believe you had mentioned you wanted to meet the White Berets before?" Pagaya strolled up to them, a gentle smile on his face.

"Ah, that's right! Can you bring me to meet them?" Luffy dismounted the fountain excitedly.

"Of course, Conis my dear, could you bring our guests back home while I bring Mr. Luffy to meet the White Berets?"

"Of course, Father, this way please" Conis gestured the rest of the Straw Hats to follow her.

"Don't be late for dinner, or I can't guarantee there'll be food left for you!" Sanji warned before joining the rest, each of them sharing their experiences in the city.

Luffy smiled wryly, if things went as planned, they won't even be having dinner at all.

"Please follow me, mr. Luffy," Pagaya beckoned.

Luffy waved his crew onwards before turning to follow Pagaya.

"What are the White Berets like?" Luffy inquired, catching up to Pagaya.

"They are quite nice people actually, they keep our people safe from outsiders especially." Pagaya explained.

"You mean there are other people like us who visit Sky Island?"

Pagaya nodded with a smile, "There are others, but not that many of course. Sometimes they are mean people and the White Berets deal with them. If their offence is serious enough, the White Berets will hand them to the Priests to be judged."

"Priests? Is there a temple here?"

Pagaya scratched his chin, "to put it simply, God lives on this island and the Priests below him are his enforcers."

"Woooah! There's a God here?"

"That's right… Ah, here we are," Pagaya gestured to the building in front.

The building was made out of clouds just like the others around it, consisting of three floors with a double door entrance. Two skypieans stood guard at the entrance, both of them wearing striking white berets on their heads.

One of the guards saluted, "Heso, citizen! How may we help you today?"

"Heso, my friend here would like to meet with Captain McKinley, would now be a convenient time?"

The guard flashed a smile and nodded, "Of course, this way please sir."

Luffy followed Pagaya through the double doors in front of the guards, not seeing the two guards sharing a look and nodding to each other behind his back.

* * *

The Straw Hats were huddled close together in a room of their hosts' house. They had borrowed the room from Conis with the reason of sharing what they have learnt during their trip. Of course the real reason was for Nami to share what she had told Luffy to the rest of the crew and their course of action.

Zoro had a hand on his sword, "We can start cutting some people, maybe that can make them more honest."

Usopp quickly raised his hands to placate the swordsman, "Let's… Let's not be too hasty here… I don't think Luffy want us to do that either…"

"No! Conis-chain is too nice! She must have been forced by these bad people! There's no way she will do this to us!" Sanji protested.

"Were they lying to us all this while?" Chopper sniffed, tears already spilling from his eyes.

Robin only stared into the distance with a melancholic look in her eyes, saying nothing.

Nami rolled her eyes, exasperated, "We just need to give them an excuse, then slip out back to our ship and wait for Luffy there. He'll come back with a way off this place for us and we'll be gone before they know it."

"Huh, but what can we tell them without arousing suspicions?" Zoro scoffed.

Everyone turned to look at Usopp.

"Wh… What? Is there something on my face?"

"Come on, you're the liar here, come up with something," Zoro nudged with a grin.

"I'm… I'm not a liar!" Usopp protested.

Nami waved her hand in front of her, "Doesn't matter, just think of something to tell Conis later. In the meantime, we'll start preparing to leave and-"

"Trouble!" A loud voice resounded outside their room, followed by the bang of a door being hastily opened.

Pagaya spots the Straw Hats huddled in a corner and immediately approached them with shaky steps.

The dial mechanic takes a few moments to calm himself before addressing the Straw Hats, grief and panic clear in his eyes.

"Mr. Luffy… Mr. Luffy has been arrested!"


	25. Chapter 25: Impending Storm

_A/N: Had a few days free and wrote this as fast as I could. This one's a little shorter than usual but the sharper ones might figure out the future plans from this, or at least guess my intentions, I'm bad at keeping secrets after all :P_

 _As usual enjoy :D_

* * *

Akainu stormed down the corridor, barely giving the saluting Marines a glance as he made a beeline for Sengoku's office, a file clutched tightly in his hands.

Two Marines stood guard outside his door on each side, stiffening when they saw who was approaching.

One of them raised his arm hesitatingly, "Ad… Admiral Akainu… I'm sorry but you can't…"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Akainu roared, shoving the door open violently, the door hinges creaking loudly in protest.

The Admiral glared at the man sitting behind the mountain of paperwork at the only desk in the room, storming straight towards him.

"I swear if I need to replace another door because of that Straw Hat again…" Sengoku muttered under his breath as he put away his pen.

Akainu tossed the file he was holding in front of Sengoku with disdain, pointing his finger accusingly at it as though condemning a criminal.

"Explain this Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

Sengoku calmly adjusted his glasses before picking up the file, unperturbed under Akainu's glare. He sighed when he read the content of the file.

' _Strawhat again as expected… Not sure if he is a blight or a blessing right now…'_

The file reports on Nico Robin being sheltered under the Straw Hat Marines' protection as a wrongfully accused individual, detailing the possibility of corruption and a traitor amongst the Marine ranks while requesting for a thorough investigation. There was a demand that amnesty to be granted to Nico Robin should the charges be found to be false and suitable compensation to be made to her afterwards.

"Yes, I am aware of this Sakazuki, what else do you want from me?" Sengoku glanced at the Admiral.

"We let a wanted criminal into our ranks! We all know about this Nico Robin and yet we allow this?! How can Luffy do such a thing?!"

"What would you think he would have done? It's not like you don't know him, Sakazuki."

"He should've just turned her in! That's what we are supposed to do! He is too soft for his own damn good!" Akainu spat.

Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again, "He wouldn't do that while knowing that the party was innocent. His values are different from yours after all."

Akainu seethed, "This isn't about values, this is about Justice! Does he even know about her capabilities?"

"Seeing as how he was part of CP9 and also Kuzan's apprentice, I would say yes."

"THEN WHY ARE WE ALLOWING THIS?!" Akainu slammed the table with a fist, scattering documents all over the floor.

Sengoku sighed for the third time after seeing the mess. He pulled open a drawer on his right and tossed an official looking document on the table.

"It's not like I don't want to, but we can't touch them."

Akainu picked up the document in confusion, eyes widening at the contents.

"What? How? How did this even…"

The document officiated the forming of the Straw Hat Marines, dictating it to be a department under the Marines while remaining completely independent from it. It allowed them to operate independently as its leader saw fit without being influenced by the Marine's chain of command and its crew members and associates were not to be subjected to Marine incarceration and answer only to its leader. There were several other information about promotion and duties that Akainu glossed over but the main thing that shocked him was that the document was signed by Kong himself.

"At least your reaction was worth it… All I know was he came for inspection and somehow Luffy got to meet him and they had a talk. Witnesses say that he was quite passionate and convincing in his views..."

"This isn't something that he would do… What did Luffy tell him?"

"It isn't, which is why I was just as shocked as you are when I received it. As for what Luffy told the Commander, I haven't the faintest idea. No one else was close enough to hear when they were having their… Discussion..."

Akainu crossed his arms, "I do not think Luffy is capable of doing this. Someone else must be behind it!"

Sengoku shrugged, "I heard his performance in CP9 was quite extraordinary, not to mention that both Kuzan and Borsalino were much more productive when he was under their wing. I was tempted to get the boy to teach me how to get those two off their lazy asses for even a day."

"That's beside the point! Isn't this just basically allowing him to build his own private army? What's so different compared to those damn Warlords?! He's basically out of our control! What was he thinking allowing this?!"

Sengoku rolled his eyes at the outburst, pointedly refraining to point out the men at G-5 were not any better anyway.

"Apparently Kong didn't see it that way. We can only hope that our dear boy doesn't have that ambition. Then again, judging by his accomplishments so far, I doubt he would. He has been very compliant with us so far and I wouldn't want to change that... Do look at the bigger picture won't you?"

Akainu narrowed his eyes, "What are you suggesting?"

"Placing them 'under' Garp was the first step, I kept this one here and publicized the one he is currently carrying to gloss over the fact that they were not subjected to our jurisdiction. Then working towards giving him an Admiral position will keep him closer to us. They do say keep your friends close and your enemies closer after all."

"All of this still does not address Nico Robin."

Sengoku gritted his teeth, "What can I do? Kong himself told us not to touch him so who am I to do it? All I can do is keep a close eye on him."

"I will talk to him and get him to retract it!"

"You think I haven't tried? I appealed to him when I first received it and he sent me away telling me to trust in the boy. Now with all his accomplishments piling up, I have fewer and fewer reasons to bring this up again. He has been achieving much more in this short time than what most veteran Marines have in their lives."

"The Gorosei could do something."

Sengoku narrowed his eyes, "you're not one to rely on them so eagerly, what would you have them do?"

"Anything. I will seek them out myself and get some sense into them."

"You can't just… Hmm… Be careful, Sakazuki… Luffy is a powerful ally, but allies can still become enemies."

"I do not need you to remind me… I will do things my way now, even Kong won't be able to do anything if it's the Gorosei who decide on that Devil Child's fate."

Akainu tossed the document back on the desk before storming back out the room, leaving Sengoku to clean up the mess that he had made.

"Monkey D. Luffy… Sometimes I wonder if things would have been easier if you were not a Marine but a pirate instead…"

* * *

"WHAT?!" the Straw Hats yelled out in unison.

"Arrested?! For what?!" Nami exclaimed, already feeling the headaches she was going to get very soon.

"That… Well… I am not entirely sure myself… I was only told by the White Berets that he had committed a serious crime and he had to be taken in…" Pagaya scratched his head, a little taken aback by the Straw Hats' reactions.

"White Berets? The local law enforcement huh?" Usopp frowned, recalling seeing them patrolling in the city while he was shopping.

Chopper clutched his head while panicking, "What do we do now? What can we do?"

Before the Straw Hats could start discussing on what their next course of action was, a loud ringing was heard from the front door bell.

"Forgive me, I'll go see who it is…" Pagaya apologised before exiting the room.

Zoro watched the Skypiean leave before turning to face the rest of the crew, his face dead serious, "We break him out of here."

Sanji slapped him on the head almost immediately, "We're not some damn criminals! We don't do break outs!"

"Well then what do you suppose we do, dart-brow?! Let him rot in a cell here while we continue on our merry way into the sunset?"

"Even so, we can't just break him out of prison you stupid marimo! We're Marines! We're supposed to be doing the opposite of that!"

"Why you pervert cook, you want to go?!"

"You think I'm scared of you?!"

"Enough!" Nami slapped the two of them on the head.

The navigator huffed as she crossed her arms while glaring at the two men, "now is not the time. Besides, Sanji is right, Luffy would not want us to resort to criminal acts either. We can find out what exactly he has done and appeal to these White Berets to release him in some way. Not everything is about brute force you know?"

Zoro snorted, "I doubt they would release him so easily with the 'serious crime' he committed."

Nami shrugged, "no harm trying."

"I don't suppose we can trust Luffy to solve his predicament on his own?" Usopp suggested timidly.

"""No!""" Nami, Zoro and Chopper voiced out at the same time.

"We're his friends! We need to save a friend from trouble no matter what!" Chopper thumped his chest proudly.

"He's still the Rear Admiral of this crew, if we can't protect our head, what use is of us as his subordinates?" Zoro grunted.

Nami sighed dejectedly, "and also with how he is, he'll definitely cause more trouble for us on his own and the bail money would increase too! We need to get him out before that happens!"

'Figured it was about money…' The other Straw Hats sweat dropped at Nami's answer.

A knock was heard on the door as Pagaya entered the room with his daughter and a man with a light-blue coat and a distinctive white beret on his head. The crew noted that there was a slight swelling of his left cheek.

Pagaya gestured to the man, "I'm sorry to intrude but… Allow me to introduce the captain of the White Berets, Mr. Mckinley."

"Greetings citizens of the Blue Sea. I'm sorry that we had to meet under such circumstances but I am here to inform you that your... friend... has committed a heinous crime and must be punished for his actions."

Usopp gulped, "What… What's going to happen to him?"

Mckinley pursed his lips, "he will be sacrificed to our God."

"Sacrifice?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of place sacrifice their criminals?! What crime did he even commit?!" Nami demanded.

"He committed sacrilege, a taboo to our God. Unless we wish to suffer the God's wrath, we have to offer him up as a sacrifice."

"For such a place like this to believe in God's wrath… Is it really that serious?" Robin inquired.

Mckinley nodded, "It might seem absurd to outsiders like you, but believe us when we tell you that it is real."

Nami grimaced, "What could Luffy possibly do to commit a sacrilege? Wait… On second thought, actually a lot of things… But what did he do this time?"

Mckinley averted his eyes, sighing, "It was not what he did… It was what he could do…"

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _Nice to meet you Mr. Luffy, I am Mckinley, captain of the White Berets."_

 _The two law enforcement officers shook hands with warm smiles. Both of them were standing in the corridor outside Mckinley's office, the White Beret having agreed to give Luffy a tour of the building._

" _Shishishi! I am Monkey D. Luffy of the Marines, nice to meet you!"_

 _Mckinley gestured down the corridor for Luffy to follow him, leaving Pagaya to wait for his guest at his office. Luffy eagerly followed the White Beret as he led him towards the armoury._

" _I understand from Mr. Pagaya that you are akin to a high ranking officer in the Blue Sea, I hope your stay with us on Skypiea so far has been enjoyable thus far?"_

" _Yeah! This place is so awesome! There's so many interesting stuff! Everyone is so nice too! Shishishi!"_

 _Mckinley smiled a little at Luffy's praise, "I'm happy to hear that, we White Berets do our best to ensure law and order in our lands. If you see anything that needs improvement, please do not hesitate to tell me."_

 _Mckinley opened a door and ushered Luffy into the armoury, Luffy marvelled at the various equipment found in the room. The room was filled with a variety of bows, arrows, dials and other sorts of dial equipment._

" _Wow! What are these?!" Luffy yelled in excitement, holding up a pair of boots with skates and dials on them._

" _Those are our Jet Skis, we use them to travel on Sea Clouds on foot." Mckinley explained._

" _Cool! I wish we had such cool things in the Marines!" Luffy's eyes sparkled._

" _If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Luffy, but what sort of weapons do you use?"_

" _Oh me? I use my fists!" Luffy beamed proudly, showing his fists to him._

 _Mckinley raised an eyebrow at the proclamation, "Isn't… Isn't that a little dangerous? You'll have to get really close to the criminals who may be using ranged equipment against you?"_

" _Shishishi! No problem, I can just avoid those bullets!"_

 _The Skypeian's eyes widened, "avoid… Bullets? I'm sorry but how do you do that?"_

" _Oh that's simple! I just predict where the bullets are going with my senses and avoid them!"_

" _Predict?! You mean you can use Mantra?!"_

" _Mantra? What's that?"_

" _You… You can see or sense the presence of others, and glimpse a little to the future?"_

 _Luffy scratched his head "Oh, er… Something like that I guess?"_

" _Sac… SACRILEGE! Only God and God's priests should be able to use Mantra! MEN!"_

 _Four White Berets bursts into the room almost immediately, as though they were waiting for the signal all this time._

" _Arrest him! Take him to be judged by God's priests!" Mckinley ordered, pointing an accusatory finger at Luffy._

" _Hey! What did I do?" Luffy protested as the four guards rushed towards him._

 _He sidestepped the lead guard while sticking out his foot, tripping him to crash face first into the wall behind. Another tried to grab Luffy but had his outreached hand grabbed by the Marine and tossed over his shoulder to slam the White Beret on the ground. The last two guards came at him from both sides but Luffy took a step back and slammed the two guards together, leaving them unconscious on the ground._

" _Why would you do this?" Luffy demanded, glaring at Mckinley._

 _Mckinley did not respond but roared angrily, charging at the Rear Admiral._

 _Not intent on hurting him, Luffy slapped Mckinley across the face with an open palm. The White Beret fell onto the floor with a loud thud, his face starting to swell at where he was slapped._

 _Mckinley clutched at his face while glaring at Luffy, "You… You've done it now! Assaulting us White Berets is a class two crime! You will have to be taken to undergo the Ordeals by the priests!"_

 _Luffy fumed, crossing his arms, "You guys attacked me first without reason, you think I will just quietly allow you to arrest me for no reason?"_

" _Being able to use Mantra while not a priest… This will anger God and he would bring down his wrath down on us if we allowed you to roam free!"_

" _There's plenty of other people in the Marines who can use this skill too, is your God going to visit them too?"_

 _Mckinley faltered a little at what he said but recovered quickly, "It… It still does not change the fact that you have assaulted us White Berets! This crime is unforgivable! You must be arrested!"_

 _Luffy grinned, settling into a combat stance, "Take me if you can then, I'll beat down all of you."_

" _If… If you continue to resist, your companions will also be labelled as criminals too! They will also be arrested and-"_

 _Luffy's figure disappeared from Mckinley's sight, reappearing right in front of him with his fist implanted at the side of the Skypiean's face, punching through the wall he was leaning against._

" _Bring my friends into this, and I will make sure everyone here will never be seen again."_

 _Mckinley paled a little at the Marine's threat, realizing his eyes had gone deathly serious. He gulped, trying to suppress his shivering._

" _I… I… God will… God will still punish all of us if we do not do our duty…"_

 _Luffy pulls back his fist, leaving a fist shaped hole in the wall, "God this, God that, so this God is behind all this then?"_

" _What… What do you want?"_

" _Fine, I'll take your lousy Ordeal. Take me to see this God of yours," Luffy grinned._

* * *

"Mantra huh…" Zoro noted.

"That's his Observation haki isn't it?" Sanji asked.

Zoro nodded in response.

"What's going to happen to Luffy?" Chopper cried, holding onto the seams of Usopp's pants.

Mckinley pointed towards the window overlooking the beach. The Straw Hats moved quickly towards it, just in time to see Luffy board Merry before a Super-Express Speedy Shrimp emerged from below, carrying the ship with its claws and speeding off into the distance.

"What the hell was that?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"It's God's Super-Express Speedy Shrimp, it carries criminals to the sacrificial altar to be sacrificed." Mckinley explained.

"Oh no! Luffy's really going to be sacrificed! What should we do?!" Chopper started running around in a panic.

"What's your call Usopp? You're supposed to be the lead today." Sanji remarked.

Everyone turned to look at the sniper who was currently shivering in his shoes. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth, doing his best to put on a smile of confidence.

"I… I say we wait for him here! We should… trust our superior to solve this on his own! As his subordinates we should have full trust in our leader after all!"

Zoro scowled at his answer, "If no one wants to go save him, I will."

The swordsman turned to leave but Sanji stretches out an arm to bar his way.

"Did we all not agree to obey the squad leader's decisions? We all listened to you when you were in charge."

"Then we would all rather just sit here and abandon him to his fate?"

"If that's what Usopp has decided on, yes. If you do not agree, wait until your turn to decide."

Zoro unclasped his sword, "that would be something I cannot agree on. I'm going even if no one else does."

Sanji narrowed his eyes, "What you're doing will undo everything we have been trying to achieve so far."

"It would not matter if our real leader isn't here anymore."

"If… If I may interrupt…" Pagaya raised a hand timidly. "Even though Mr. Luffy has been chosen as a sacrifice, the rest of you can undergo the priest's trial of Ordeal to save him…"

"Trial of Ordeal? What are we supposed to do?" Robin asked.

"You will need to make your way to the sacrificial altar by a dial boat, passing through the priest's judgement by completing their trials. If you manage to make it to Mr. Luffy, he will be declared innocent and released."

"Oh, isn't that simple then?" Nami clapped her hands happily.

"So far in our history… No one has passed through successfully and everyone convicted dies at the priest's hands."

"Luffyyyyyyyy…. Why must you involve us like this…" Nami crouched in a corner and began sobbing.

Usopp laughed nervously, "I guess we better stay here after all!"

Zoro glared at Sanji who still barred his way, "Move."

"If you don't mind me asking, mr. swordsman, why are you so bent on helping him? Knowing Mr. Rear Admiral's strength, we would be more of a burden than a help."

"I KNOW!" Zoro yelled, startling everyone in the room.

"I know his strength! I know full well how he's still far out of my reach after my loss with Mihawk! Perhaps even in Luffy's eyes I'm not even worth fighting!"

The swordsman turned and glared at everyone in the room, his left hand gripping tightly on one of his katanas.

"Luffy came to me looking for crew mates and I told him I wanted to be the best swordsman in the world at that time without knowing what true strength was. If I could go back in time I would have given myself a slap in the face to wake up! Who did I think I was to be so arrogant when I haven't even seen what the rest of the world was capable of?!"

Robin raised her eyebrow slightly, she never actually considered how the crew actually came together since everyone of them has such different ambitions. The swordsman wanted to be the best swordsman in the world, the cook wanted to find the mythical All Blue, the navigator wanted to map the world, the sniper wanted to be a brave warrior and the doctor wanted to cure all ailments as the best doctor in the world. How did Luffy actually got all of them with such different personalities to become Marines?

* * *

" _Why… Why do you have so much faith in me? Why, Luffy?"_

" _You think too little of yourself Zoro. That girl you helped back then? You willingly subjected yourself to that torture to save her even if it meant you might lose your chance to attain your dream. Not many can do that unless you have the will to live through every obstacle that life throws at you to protect your dream. You are much stronger than you think."_

* * *

"Luffy knew Mihawk's strength, but he did not laugh at my dream. He told me I could do it, trusted that I could fulfill my dream. He said he would bring Mihawk to me if I joined and he fulfilled that promise but I embarrassed him with my defeat. There are definitely plenty of stronger swordsmen out there right now but he picked me and never abandoned me as he easily could have because he believed me. How can I forgive myself if I am forever walking in Luffy's shadow then?! He supported my dream so why am I not doing my best to support his?!"

The Straw Hats were rather taken aback by this, they never thought Zoro still had such strong feelings after his defeat at Mihawk's hands. Luffy had picked them all up when they told him their dreams, and he has never laughed at any of them.

Sanji looked out the window, watching the sea outside.

* * *

" _Hey Sanji! Your dream is to find the All Blue right?"_

" _Yeah, don't suppose you know where to find it Captain?"_

" _Nope! But let's find it together so you can cook more delicious food! Shishishi!"_

" _It's not always about food you shitty Captain!"_

" _But your food is always delicious!"_

* * *

Usopp glanced down at his hands, remembering not so long ago that he was still known as the village's liar.

* * *

" _I'm going to be a brave warrior of the sea!"_

" _THAT'S SO COOL!"_

" _And I'll visit Elbaf one day to see the village of giants!"_

" _Yeah! Let's go together Usopp! It's going to be awesome!"_

* * *

Nami scratched at her tattoo idly, her eyes distant.

* * *

" _You made my navigator cry Arlong!"_

" _Nami! You're my navigator now! Got it?"_

" _You want to draw a map of the whole world?! We have a lot of places to go then! It's going to be fun!"_

* * *

Chopper sniffed back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.

* * *

" _Shishishi, you don't look like a monster to me!"_

" _You're a doctor too? THAT'S SO COOL!"_

* * *

Zoro gritted his teeth, "To become a Marine Admiral with the strongest crew to protect everything... He's counting on us to do that with him."

Zoro turned to walk towards the door again, "If you want to stop me, it'll have to be over my dead body."

"Wait!" Usopp yelled.

All the Straw Hats turned to him. Usopp clenched his fists, a look of determination in his eyes.

"All members, gear up and prepare to set out to rescue our Rear Admiral! We will prove his innocence and overcome the trials they have set for us without fail! MOVE!"

"Aye, aye!"

Robin marvelled at how close the crew were before joining them in their preparations.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how do we get there? We have a map here but we don't know where the altar is." Nami asked, handing the map that Luffy found to Pagaya.

"Oh, this is a rather old map but this seems quite accurate," Pagaya received the map and drew out a route for them to follow.

"I will lead you to the harbour, you can use my dial boat to get there to save your friend." Conis offered, gesturing towards the door.

"Please do Conis chaaan!" Sanji pirouetted after her.

Mckinley followed closely behind while Pagaya opted to stay to clean up the house. Walking through the streets of the city, the crew noted that the city's atmosphere was much more muted than it was compared to before.

"They're avoiding us…" Sanji noted.

Zoro snorted, "Huh, we're a criminal's associates, of course they wouldn't want to get close to us now."

"I want to clear Luffy's name fast so I can go look at more of the city…" Chopper sighed.

Robin took note that some of the Skypiean that she had talked to before were intentionally averting their eyes away from her, as though they were guilty of something. Remembering Nami's words, she watched Conis as she guided them towards the harbour.

They arrived at the harbour before long, dial boats of various shapes and sizes were secured to the jetty.

"Wow! Chopper look at that one! It looks like a house!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Sky Island is so interesting!" Chopper marvelled with sparkles in his eyes.

"We're not here on holiday now…" Nami sighed.

Conis stopped in from of a crow shaped gondola before gesturing towards it, "It's called Karasumaru, it's rather small but I used it before I learnt how to use the waver, so please feel free to use it."

"A crow… It's not even a sea bird…" Sanji sweat dropped.

"We'll just have to make do with it," Zoro grunted, already preparing to board it.

"Is it really alright for us to use this?" Nami asked.

Conis smiled at the question, "Of course! No need to worry about it."

"But will you be fine helping people like us? Everyone else seemed reluctant to even get close after all. You know, you may also be convicted as a criminal for helping us." Nami eyed the girl seriously.

Conis's smile faltered at the question.

"Besides, you seemed to be shaking ever since we left the house, what are you hiding?" Robin asked.

Conis was acutely aware of the sweat trailing down her forehead. She stuttered as she found the rest of the crew looking at her, the men with care and concern on their faces while the women had already begun suspecting her.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Conis suddenly fell to her knees.

Mckinley flustered over her, "What's gotten into you?"

"I can't lie to such people… They… Please, won't you all just run away?"

"Do not say unnecessary things!" Mckinley yelled.

"Don't you think it's strange? Having some weird reason to brand someone as a criminal to be sacrificed? Then explaining everything simply to their companions then guiding them here… It's as though we want you to go there…"

"Don't say anymore!" The surrounding Skypieans yelled.

"The priests ordered to have all of you incriminated for their entertainment… And if we do not obey we'll all be killed! I'm sorry!"

"Enough! Do you want to receive God's Judgement?!" Mckinley grabbed her shoulder trying stop Conis.

Nami gasped,"If you had no choice but to do this…"

"WHY DID YOU TELL US?!" The Straw Hats yelled.

"Now you'll be targeted too!"Sanji exclaimed.

"No! It's too late!" Mckinley scrambled to get out of the harbour, trying to pull Conis out to safety as well.

The distinct smell of ozone filled the air and the Straw Hats noticed their hair beginning to stand.

One of the Skypiean screamed, "God's Judgement is coming!"

The Straw Hat's could only stare in mute horror as a pillar of lightning struck at where Conis and Mckinley had been.

"Conis chaaaaan!" Sanji tried to dash towards the lightning but Zoro pulled him back before he could disintegrate himself.

The pillar soon dissipated to reveal an empty hole at where the two once stood, even the cloud below had disintegrated.

"Worry not! The two are safe with me!" A voice shouted merrily above them.

The crew looked up to see Gan Fall on his giant bird holding on to the two Skypieans.

"I will temporarily protect the girl, no harm will befall upon her under my watch." While saying such things, he unceremoniously dumped Mckinley back on the harbour since he was not in danger of the Judgement anymore.

The knight turned to regard the Straw Hats, "Now you know the true face of this country, will you continue to move forward?"

"This is all a game to this so called God and his lackeys…" Sanji clenched his fists in anger.

"This still won't change a thing, we're still taking Luffy back!" Usopp yelled confidently.

"Maybe even kick God's butt while we're at it?" Zoro chuckled.

"Huh, I see. Then good luck to you all, perhaps our paths will cross again."

With a flourish of his lance, Gan Fall flew into the horizon, disappearing from view.

"Alright! Come on! Let's go before another one of those things come down on us!" Nami yelled, pushing everyone onto the boat.

"Let's go rescue Luffy!" Chopper pumped his fist in the air.

* * *

Deep within the forest of Upper Yard, Merry sat grounded on top of a sacrificial altar made of stone. A lone Marine stood patting the mast, a heavy set of chains lay broken at his feet.

"Ah Merry… Sorry you have to go through all of these damages for us… We'll get you fixed up real soon so bear with me."

He turned back to regard the forest with a critical eye.

"'Stay here and wait to die?' No thanks, I'll come and find you instead." Luffy grinned.

The Rear Admiral leapt off the altar, landing within the forest.

Luffy brushed off the dirt from his cloak, grinning at the bushes, "You don't need to hide, I know you guys are here."

Fifteen figures leapt out from the bushes, surrounding Luffy. All of them had goat-like faces with two horns on their head while wearing white robes on their body.

"Sacrilegious criminal! We are God's Divine Soldiers, here to make sure you do not leave your altar and obediently wait for your trial! Now return at once to the altar or we will kill you right here and now in the name of the great God Enel! Repent at once-"

The soldier's speech was interrupted as he was sent flying away and crashed into a nearby tree.

"You all will do for a warmup," Luffy smiled.

"Insolent little-"

" **Soru** "

Luffy appeared in front of the soldier and kicked him across the head, sending him to join his unconscious companion.

" **Rankyaku** "

Kicking his leg in an arc, the blade sliced the three soldiers who were pouncing on him, blasting them back and into the sea.

"Take this! Axe dial!"

" **Soru** "

Luffy disappeared right before one of the soldiers smashed his palm towards Luffy, releasing an air blade that cut through where the Rear Admiral had been. The soldier only had time to feel a gust of wind above him before he was smashed into the ground by Luffy dropping from above.

" **Soru** "

Luffy appeared in the middle of three soldiers still recovering from their shock. His left fist found its way into the abdomen of one while he spun to roundhouse kick a second one across the face. The last one only had time to fumble with his dial before he too, was punched in his gut and sent flying.

"Got you!"

" **Kami-e** "

The palm with the axe dial strapped to it sailed past Luffy, delivering its deadly air blade into empty air. Grasping the outstretched arm under his armpit, Luffy circled his hand to rest on the soldier's shoulder. The soldier's eyes widened when he realised what the Marine was going to do and tried to pull his arm back in a panic.

A resounding crack echoed through the forest as Luffy pulled his arm and leaned his weight forward, breaking the soldier's arm and silencing his screams with a swift kick to the head.

The remaining five Divine Soldiers took an unconscious step back, more than half of their numbers were taken within a blink of an eye.

"YAAAAA!" One of them yelled, leaping towards Luffy's exposed back with his palm poised to strike.

Luffy leaped into the air, spinning in a circle. His left foot kicked away the arm just as the air blade left the dial, redirecting it towards another of the soldiers. The soldier didn't have time to scream as the air blade struck him across his chest, blasting him deep into the forest.

The soldier who had tried to use the axe dial paled when he saw what he had done before a swift kick from Luffy's other leg to the head robbed him of his consciousness.

"Three left," Luffy muttered, eyeing the last three soldiers.

He dashed straight towards them, sending his right fist straight into the chin of the middle soldier and sending him airborne. The soldier on the left decided it was in his best interest to flee while the last one launched his axe dial at Luffy.

" **Rankyaku** "

Luffy kicked his leg upwards and the two air blades collided, with Luffy's overpowering and disintegrating the axe dial's before impacting against the soldier, sending him to crash against a tree.

" **Soru** "

Luffy caught up to the fleeing soldier from above, delivering a swift blow to the head and face planting him into the forest floor. The previously airborne soldier crashed nearby, the soldier already unconscious the moment he was hit.

The Rear Admiral dusted his hands with a grin, "Now… God Enel was it? It'll be your turn soon."

Luffy sprinted into the forest, not looking back.

* * *

Meanwhile in a village hidden in the sea of clouds, a muscular warrior with tribal tattoos on his side and face was gathering a crowd of warriors.

"Everyone get ready to move! This is the best chance we are ever going to get! We have to attack now! Today is the day we restore the flame of Shandora!"

The warriors punched their fists in the air and yelled in agreement as they hurried their preparations. Nearby, a woman was busy comforting a small girl wearing a fur cap. The little girl was holding both ears tightly as though trying to block out any sound she could hear with her hands.

"So… So many voices… Disappearing so fast… So many… So fast..."


End file.
